Alexander von HUMBOLDT (1769-1859), Carte Generale Du Royaume de la Nouvelle Espagne...., 1811.

Alexander von HUMBOLDT (1769-1859)Carte Generale Du Royaume de la Nouvelle Espagne....Engraved map on 4 sheets joined as twoParis: F. Schell, 1811Sheet size: 22 x 32 ¾ inches each; Frame size: 29 inches x 39 inches Humboldt’s map of New Spain was the first “modern” map of the Spanish dominions in North America, and the source map for a subsequent generation of cartographers. Spanish law prohibited anyone from entering any of its vast North American territories without the prior consent of the government. Such consent was rarely granted, but the Prussian scientist Alexander von Humboldt obtained permission to visit New Spain, directly from King Charles IV in Madrid. His passport was almost without restriction - a degree of access never having been provided to a foreign visitor before. Scientific exploration was Humboldt’s express purpose, and it was the rationale behind the unusually broad passport. His experience as a mineralogist and work in the mining industry certainly helped, as Ch