"Americae Nova Descriptio", Seile, Anae

This map of the Americas is based on Henry Seile's map of 1652. For unknown reasons, after Henry's death his plates passed to Philip Chetwind. His widow, Anae, engaged Robert Vaughan to engrave a new plate for her own publication of Heylin's Cosmography. Therefore, this is one of the few maps published exclusively by a woman, with her own imprint. The map is very similar to the earlier map, although the nomenclature of the Delaware River, Carolina, and several places on the west coast have been changed. It depicts California as an Island and features no Great Lakes. It is decorated with a title cartouche, sea monsters, and sailing ships.

References: Burden #379; McLaughlin #35; Tooley (America) p.115, #12.

Condition: B

On watermarked paper with moderate soiling and several archivally repaired tears and fold separations along the bottom of the sheet that extend 0.25" to 1.25" into the image. There is a small chip in the bottom right corner of the sheet with a portion of the border and the "sculp" of the engraver's signature replaced in facsimile.