(North America). North America, based on the most recent accounts of travelers and navigators,

(North America). North America, compiled from the most recent accounts of travelers and navigators,

and divided according to the various European possessions, by Mr. Robert de Vaugondy, son of Mr. Robert, the King’s official geographer. With a Privilege. 1750. Copperplate engraving, hand-colored. Plate dimensions : 50.5 x 66.5 cm; scale approx. 1:17,400,000. Map by Didier Robert de Vaugondy (1723–1786), one of the most outstanding French cartographers of the 18th century.
The map covers North and Central America, the northern coasts of South America, and the Caribbean. It depicts in detail the network of rivers and lakes, European settlements, forts, missions, and the territories and settlements of indigenous peoples. The color-coded boundaries illustrate the division of the continent among the European colonial powers, primarily France, Great Britain, and Spain.
Of particular interest is the western part of the continent, which in the mid-18th century remained largely unexplored. Vast areas were marked as “Terres Inconnues,” and in the west, both actual geographical discoveries and information based on unreliable travelers’ accounts were noted. Numerous place names and territories associated with French Louisiana and Spanish possessions are also visible. The map was created during a period of intense colonial rivalry between France, Great Britain, and Spain over North America, making it a valuable record of the state of geographical knowledge and the colonial division of the continent at that time. It was subsequently included in Robert de Vaugondy’s *Atlas Universel*, published in Paris in 1757–1758. A striking 18th-century map of North America, particularly valuable for its depiction of the colonial division of the continent and the vast, still-unexplored areas of the western part of the Americas. Traces of slight moisture. Good condition. Rare.