1814 England

By: John Thomson Date: 1814 (Published) Edinburgh Dimensions: 24.5 x 19.7 inches (62.2 x 50.04 cm) This beautiful hand colored Thomson map depicts England just as the end of the Napoleonic Wars approached. Though Wellington and von Blucher ultimately defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, the economic destruction which resulted from the long years of war plunged Europe into and Great Britain into depression from which they would not recover for several years. Thomson’s map has many interesting details, such as the distances in leagues to and from a wide variety of ports. The map is beautifully engraved in the minimalist English style pioneered in the early part of the 19th century. Relief is shown by hachure with towns, roadways, cities, ports and other major topographical features identified. John Thomson (1777 - 1841) was a Scottish cartographer, publisher, and bookbinder active in Edinburgh during the early part of the 19th century, who had apprenticed under Edinburgh bookbinder Robert Alis