Map or Atlas
Orbis Typus Universalis World Map
| This exquisite woodcut map is one of the first to show any part of North America. It originally appeared in the 1513 Strasbourg edition of Ptolemy's Geographia. The mapmaker, Martin Waldseemuller, made a trial version of this map in 1507 which contains the name “America” printed over Brazil; the only known copy is at Brown University. In the same year he printed a large wall map showing both North and South America; the only known copy is at the Library of Congress. After six years of further work, Waldseemuller finished his edition of Ptolemy in 1513. He supplemented its 27 ancient maps with 20 “modern” ones, including two showing discoveries by Columbus and Vespucci. This is the first of those, called “Hydrographia sive Charta marina” in the table of contents. The map that followed it in the volume, “Tabula Terre Nove,” shows South America and the Caribbean in greater detail. The Wisconsin Historical Society ownership stamp was applied in 1896, but no other provenance data appears to survive. A clipped catalog description pasted in the right margin (listing its price at 30 francs) suggests that it had passed through the hands of a French dealer. |
| Image ID: | 56247 |
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| Creation Date: | 1513 |
| Creator Name: | Waldseemüller, Martin |
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| Collection Name: | Map Collection |
| Genre: | Map or Atlas |
| Original Format Type: | prints, fine-art |
| Original Format Number: | GX11 1513 W |
| Original Dimensions: | 30 x 24 inches |
| Prints |
| Land |
| Ocean |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
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