"Map of Texas from the Most Recent Authorities", Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co.

This fine map of Texas was published immediately following the Compromise of 1850. The plate, originally engraved by C.S. Williams and published in the final edition of Tanner's Universal Atlas in 1845 , was re-engraved to reflect the state’s new boundaries. An inset titled “Texas North of Red River” shows the region originally claimed by Texas with the retained panhandle now colored in green. The remainder of the region was surrendered to the federal government in exchange for payment of the state’s war debt. The map depicts the original counties when Texas was admitted as a state along with several oversized counties making large swaths through the largely unsettled regions. San Patricio occupies the southern tip, while Milam and Robertson are long counties that begin at the Nacogdoches - San Antonio road and arc to the northwest all the way to the Red River. Important sites from the Texas Revolution appear including the Battle of San Jacinto (1836). In the northwest a note taken from Arrowsmith’s map of 1841 describes the region as “naturally fertile, well wooded, and with a fair proportion of water." Also of note are the early roads, mines and the locations of Indian tribes.

Although the map is dated 1850, it was published in 1850 or 1851. Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. purchased rights to Mitchell's atlas. Mitchell had made very few changes to this plate since 1846, accounting for the outdated county layout we see here and suggesting this is from the rare first Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. edition. The map is surrounded by decorative border in characteristic green hand coloring.

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Condition: B+

Contemporary color on a lightly toned sheet with some minor spots in the map image and soiling that is mostly confined to the blank margins.