Early Mapmakers - Marketing Was Everything!

Early on mapmakers quickly realised marketing was everything! Once the issue of scale had been addressed this was obviously going to result in some empty space appearing on the map in production. So like any good marketing push they set about filling such space with a variety of devices including cartouches, vignettes or insets . . . 

Above: c1758 Jacques Nicolas Bellin. Continuation of Brazil drawn from Mr. Danville's America Map.  Such devices, collectively grouped are referred to as ornamentation. Wise use of the available space on a map was used to capture attention and convey the message - There's nothing new under the Sun! So what would a map cartouche contain?  . . .  Find out more. click the link CARTOUCHE IN CARTOGRAPHY.