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Tales from the Rare Map Cabinet by Luke A Vavra.

THE THREE “STATES” OF WHITE’S 1590 MAP OF VIRGINIA

THE THREE “STATES” OF WHITE’S 1590 MAP OF VIRGINIA

The Latin title of this map is:Americae pars, Nunc Virginia dicta primum ab Anglis inventa sumtibus Dn Walteri Raleigh Equestris ordinis Viri Anno Dni. M.D LXXXV…. .

The English translation is:: Part of America, now called Virginia, first discovered by the English, taken up by Sir Walter Raleigh, Knight, in 1585 A.D….

Published in Theodore de Bry, Wunderbarliche, doch warhafnewlichftige Erklärung, von der Gelegenheit vnd Sitten der Wilden in Virginia…. (Frankfurt, 1590). A t the left border: Autore Ioanne With Sculptore Theodoro de Bry, Qui et excud. This acknowledges John White as the author of the map and Theodore de Bry as the engraver.

This is a double-page map of Virginia (Plate I in the book) which has Latin text in the two cartouches and is the same for the four languages and all editions of de Bry’s book which his sometimes identified as Part I, Grand Voyages (Virginia).I). There is one known exception to the design. In his carto-bibliography #76, Burden identifies three “states”, all pertaining to the beginning “C” in the title of the Indian village “Chesepiooc” (Chesapeake), which is located on a river left of the Chesapeake Bay. However, Burden indicates those three states bear no relation to the editions of the book. So, it is impossible to attribute the map to a particular edition of de Bry once it is removed from the book, or if it had been replaced during restoration of the 434 year-old book. Those three states Burden identified are:

State 1. Ehesepiooc.[I have never seen a copy.]

State 2. (Below) The letter “C” engraved over the “E”; both still visible. [Below. Note the cap on the letter “h”. More than a dozen pictures of State 2 were examined on-line; none has that cap. Is this another state?]

State 3. The error hammered out, burnished, and replaced by “C”.[Below)

\n the rare third state the map has the correct engraved “C”, which is superimposed over less-intense images of the middle bar and the upper and lower extensions to the left of the original letter E. State 2 has a very dark letter “C” superimposed over the very dark letter “E”.  The “C” over “E” were not completely hammered out and burnished before the new letter “C” was added.  State 3 is on two maps we have; both maps were compared to a State 2 to confirm the difference.


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