Property from the Collection of John and Virginia Duncan, Savannah, GA

Description:

Rare and Important Early Map of Savannah, Peter Gordon, 'A View of Savanah as it Stood the 29th of March, 1734', the engraving on double-page laid paper with watermark, marked ‘P. Gordon Inv.’ on one side and ‘P. Fourdrinier Sculp.’ on the other, the center title as follows 'To the Honble the Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America, This View of the Town of Savanah is humbly dedicated by their Honours, Obliged and most Obedient Servant, Peter Gordon, Vue de Savanah dans la Georgie,' with key to the left and right of the inscription. The image depicting the original squares with river and Hutchinson Island in the foreground. Sheet size: 21 5/8 in. x 28 5/8 in. The map matted and framed. Frame size: 29 in. x 34 in.

The importance of this map cannot be overstated. It is illustrated in most reference books on Georgia history and is one of the first known accurate colonial views. The bird’s eye view differs from other colonial maps in its detailed interpretation of the American wilderness that surrounds the settlement. It is both an icon of the South and has become a template for American urban planning. Five men were involved in the production of this early map including James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785), the founder of the Georgia colony, who chose the site Savannah would be laid out on in 1733; Noble Jones, the surveyor who was employed by Oglethorpe to design the plate and is acknowledged as the designer of the plat; Peter Gordon, whose name has become synonymous with this map, was the one chosen to deliver it to George Jones in London and thence to the Trustees who entrusted Paul Fourdrinier to engrave it. Very few examples of this map are known to survive. There are 11 known to be in public collections including: MESDA, Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, Duke University, Georgia Hargrett Library at the University of Georgia, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Clements Library at the University of Michigan, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Winterthur Museum and only a few in private hands including three that have come up for auction over the past 12 years and the one being offered here.

Measurements: Height: of plate 18 1/8 in. x Width: 23 in.

Condition:

Overall good condition, right and left side possibly trimmed with restoration, lower edge