1755 SELIGMANN, J.M. (based on CATESBY, M.) - Carolinae[,] Floridae nec non Insularum Bahamensium cum partibus adjacendibus delineatio ad Exemplar Londinense in lucem edita a Ioh. Michael Seligmann[,] Norimbergae Ao. 1755

The first and only continental edition of one of the finest and most important maps of southeastern North America – Catesby's Map of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands.

This attractive and scarce map by Johann Michael Seligmann (1720-1762) covers the Southeast as far west as the Mississippi River, extending to the east and south to depict the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles – Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Cayman Islands – and the Yucatan. It is part of Seligmann’s Sammlung verschiedener ausländischer und seltener Vögel (Collection of various foreign and rare birds), which was published by him in nine parts and printed by Johann Joseph Fleischmann in Nuremberg, between 1749 and 1776. It is based on Mark Catesby’s (1683-1749) highly sought-after corresponding map, published in 1731 in his Natural History of South Carolina, and the Bahama Islands – the first all-inclusive natural history of American flora and fauna and “… the most famous color-plate book of American plant and animal life ... a fundamental and original work for the study of American species” (Hunt).

Catesby's map is one of the earliest large-scale maps of the region. For it, Catesby drew on a number of important maps for content, including the manuscript of Captain John Barnwell (1722), which includes some details not found on earlier printed maps, as well as Popple's great 20-sheet map, as seen by the river system features, details of settlements, and the dotted trail connecting to Fort Argyle.

The English edition of this map is one of the most sought-after works of colonial American natural history and is very hard to come by. This has greatly increased the desirability of Seligmann’s version, which is itself quite scarce.

Seligmann’s rare work, the Sammlung …, included a German translation of Catesby's work as well as George Edward's (1694-1773) A Natural History of Uncommon Birds, published between 1743 and 1751, with beautifully re-engraved and hand-colored versions of their images, as well as the present map, all with minor changes.

In fine old color, Seligmann’s map shows the British Colonies in pink, French possessions in green, and the regions controlled by Spain in yellow. With this coloring, the German edition is nearly identical to the English first state of 1743, which shows the territories either side of the Mississippi as being French. In difference, the second state, which was included in the third edition of Catesby's Natural History in 1771, shows the prevailing borders after the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Seven Years’ War (the “French and Indian War”). The territory on the east bank of the Mississippi, which had been acquired by Britain, was now colored in green; and the territory to the west, which had become part of Spain, was colored blue.

Seligmann was a German artist and engraver, specializing in studies of nature. He received his initial training in engraving and art at the Nürnberger Malerakademie.

Catesby was a well-known English naturalist. He spent 10 years of his life in the American colonies observing the native species of plants and animals. After returning to England, he dedicated the next 20 years to producing his Natural History … Catesby was the first to incorporate plant life and birds on the same page. Because he was too poor at the time to hire engravers, he studied under Joseph Goupy, learning to etch plates himself to save money and ensure accuracy.

George Edwards was an English draughtsman and proficient ornithologist. He worked as the Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians which eventually allowed him to pursue publishing his bird studies and drawings. Edward strongly drove the prominence of bird and animal illustration in his time and thus became known as “The Father of British Ornithology”.

A beautiful example of a rare and important map.

Reference: Cumming, Southeast (1998 ed.), entries 210 & 292.; Henry Popple's, Map of the British Empire in North America (London, 1733) Mark Babinski Edited by Matthew H. Edney.