Hindman, James "Map of Chester County. Constructed by virtue of an Act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania by James Hindman"

James Hindman.  “Map of Chester County. Constructed by virtue of an Act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania by James Hindman.”  Philadelphia: John Melish, 1822.  First edition.  17 ¼ x 21 ½ (neat lines).  Engraving by Benjamin Tanner.  Original hand color.   Large margins.  Old stain right hand side with small loss of paper filled and in-painted.  Old stain at top just into title.  Stray old ink marks top left hand side.  Print has been professionally conserved and laid on an archival paper backing.  Very scarce.  Framed with UV filter glass. An extremely scarce map of the first map of Chester County, PA, surveyed and drawn by John Hindman.  In 1816, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed an act to publish an official map of the State and contracted John Melish to create this map.  John Melish was perhaps the premier American cartographer from 1812 to 1822 and Melish was an early proponent of the production of official state maps, sponsored, directed and controlled by the state government