Antique Maps of the France
pre 1800

Emanuel Bowen was born in Carmarthenshire, South Wales. The Son of Owen Bowen. In 1709 he was apprenticed to Charles Price as a merchant tailor and in 1714 he was admitted to the Merchant Taylors Livery Company.

He became one of the more important English mapmakers during the 18th century working in London. Working first as a map and print seller as well as an engraver ‘Next ye King of Spain in St. Katherines’ 1720; ‘the corner of Bolt-Court near the Leg-Tavern in Fleet Street’ 1722; ‘Near ye Stairs in the Katherine’s; Opposite to the Tune Inn in Fleet Street’. He received the honour of being made Royal Mapmaker to both King George II and Louis XV.

One of his first map works was Britannia Depicta first published in 1720. He collaborated with John Owen an antiquarian to provide the text for this work. It contains some 273 numbered pages featuring county maps of England and Wales and road maps derived from Ogilby’s Britannia 1675 with added notes and heraldry. The main feature was its small size which enabled for a traveller to have a great amount of information at his finger tips. It must have been a bestseller as it went on into further editions over the years. He published some fine English county atlases such as The Large English Atlas 1750 - 55 with further editions, The Royal Atlas 1762 with further editions and with his son Thomas, Atlas Anglicanus 1767.

His works were not confined to the England and Wales some of his overseas works included A Complete System of Geography, 1744 - 47; Complete Atlas Distinct View of the Known World, 1752; Universal History of the World, 1766.

For any map collector it is sad to know that Emanuel Bowen died on the 8th May 1767 in poverty. His son Thomas Bowen carried on the business but he also died of poverty in 1790 whilst in a Clerkenwell workhouse.

If you come across a map where there are few blank spaces because any you would have expected are filled with interesting topographical or historical notes you are probably looking at a Bowen map.

The son of William Faden senior (1711 - 1783) a Fleet Street printer who became a Freeman of the Clothworkers' Company in 1777. William Faden junior joined the family of the cartographer Thomas Jefferys in 1773 who had died some two years previously. In 1783 he took over the whole of Jefferys business. His contribution to cartography was important and extensive with the publishing of many fine maps and atlases. On his retirement in 1823 the business was taken over by James Wyld.

Born in Arnhem. In 1612 he founded his own business in Amsterdam publishing maps, atlases and globes T ' Opt Water in De Pascascaerte'. In the same year he married Elizabeth Hondius the daughter of Jodocus Hondius the elder and Colette van den Keere. Also in that same year his father-in-law Jodocus died and Jan helped his widow Colette with the publication of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas. Colette and her son Jodocus both died in 1629 and Jan Jansson continued working on the atlas and with the help of Colltte's younger son Henricus Hondius they completed the revision of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas published in 1638 and known as Atlas Novus. Jan Jansson then continued on his own adding maps which culminated in his magnificent 11 volume work Atlas Maior published in five languages.

A member of the Rossi family of printers and publishers. The business was begun by Giuseppe de Rossi 1570 - 1639. One of the more important firms of printers in Rome during the 17th century. The business passed to Giacomo Giovanni Rossi and his brother Giandomenico Rossi 1619 - 1653 printers and publisher working at ‘Alla Place all’insegna di Parigi’ in Rome.

It was Giacomo who was intrumental in building the business to be a great success. He had acquired plates from from prior important cartographers Antonio Lafreri 1512 - 1577 and Hendrik van Schoel which he republished.

After his death in 1691 the business was carried on by his son Domenico de Rossi followed by Lorenzo Filippo