Scandinavia (1814)

This hand colored 1814 map depicts Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Modern day Finland, though included, was then part of the Kingdom of Sweden. In Norway, the Lofoten Maelstrom, inspiration for Edgar Allen Poe’s classic, the Maelstrom, is identified just off then Lofoten Archipelago. The whole is beautifully engraved in the minimalist English style pioneered in the early part of the 19th century. Thomson maps are known for their stunning color, awe inspiring size, and magnificent detail. Thomson’s work, including this map, represents some of the finest cartographic art of the 19th century. Relief is shown by hachure with towns, cities, and major topographical features identified. Finely engraved in 1814 by N.R. Hewitt and issued as plate no. 9 for Edinburgh cartographer John Thomson's 1817 New General Atlas.