I explained in Engraving and Photography: continuity or disruption? the reasons for excluding from my collection any coloured prints. Even though they may catch an unsophisticated viewer’s eye, the manual addition of colours actually diminishes the value of prints, both in terms of accuracy and in aesthetic terms (for me at least). However, this does not apply to maps for which the use of colours was quite common or even prevalent at that time, as it is now. There is no contradiction here because, unlike views of cityscapes, landscapes and other land-based objects that could be seen by human eye, maps were an abstract creation based on data collected by different means, including mathematics. It was long before humans could fly and see the Earth from high altitude or even imagine that might be possible one day. As such, maps could allow for creative use of colours not designed to convey any actual colours of what was represented on the map but to make maps more vivid and appealing to viewers, as well as to visually mark territories (such as countries) which otherwise would be undistinguishable.
This remarkable specimen dating to 1729, roughly contemporaneous with Plan Turgot and most of Jacques Rigaud’s engravings, comes with a lot of additional information, both narrative and visual, that makes it indeed both educational and very eye-pleasing. (details: Mappe Monde)
I find these old Maps quite fascinating and have many of them on the walls of all of my residences. A passion, which I am sure is shared by many other people. All colours are original (i.e. applied at the time of creation by the authors).
This coloured map of England and Wales of the late 18th century is part of a series of maps of Europe made by the Italian engraver Cassini in 1795 (see: Map of England). However, not all maps were coloured; monochrome was not uncommon either, particularly for urban plans (see Plan Turgot or Venice as some examples).
This map was made exactly a century earlier in 1695 specifically for the education of the young Duke of Burgundy, who was to become the French king but did not live long enough to outlive his grandfather Louis XIV (see Oceani britannici).
