Recens Edita totius Novi Belgii, in America Septentrionali siti by LOTTER, Tobias Conrad

Augsburg: LOTTER, Tobias Conrad. unbound. Map. Engraving with hand coloring. Image measures 19.5" x 22.5". Page measures 20.25" x 23".<br/><br/> This highly decorated map of New England offers a fascinating portrait of colonialism in the middle of the 18th century. The map itself shows the area from the Canadian border down to Virginia as a land of plenty, lush with forests and most notably with wildlife. Scattered illustrations of animals of all types including birds, moose, bears, and rodents comprise the fauna of the New World. Appearing as the residents of the colonies, these animals visually displace the actual residents Native Americans who appear, instead, in the title cartouche at the bottom of the map. In this illustration, American Indians and African slaves carry wheat, barrels of tobacco, and other commodities to Hermes, Athena, and Hera, who are waiting on the hand of the English King, George II. Set above a 17th-century bird's eye view of New York City that serves as a reminder of the city's Dutch heritage, the cartouche illustrates both the motor and mechanism of colonial growth during this time period. Hand-colored for visual emphasis, the colonies on this fourth state of the map are updated from earlier versions, although the spelling of Boston as Briston remains. All in all, this map is a stunning image of colonial America in more ways than one. The map is in very good condition with slight chips to the lower margins not affecting the image, minimal wear to centerfold, some staining and minor foxing. Otherwise a vibrant copy. Tobias Conrad Lotter was a German mapmaker based in Augsburg. His work dates to the revival of mapmaking in 18th century Germany that was spurred in large part by the work of Matthäus Seutter. Lotter, who married Seutter's daughter, worked on behalf of the Seutter firm as a master engraver and took over half of the printing house upon Seutter's death. His individual work, combined with his republication of Seutter's maps under his own imprint, allowed Lotter to match, if not surpass, his predecessor's reputation as one of the most prominent German cartographers of the period.<br/><br/>