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2012-175, Manuscript Map
Manuscript associated with Map of Mexico or New Spain
2012-175, Manuscript Map

Manuscript associated with Map of Mexico or New Spain

Date1785
Maker
OriginAmerica, South Carolina, Charleston
MediumInk on laid paper
DimensionsOverall (Manuscript): 9 1/4 × 7 1/4 in (23.49 × 18.41cm)
Framed (framed with 2012-175,1): 15 1/2 × 23 7/8 in
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2012-175,2
DescriptionHandwritten desription made by Harriet Hayles, in Charleston, South Carolina in 1785.Label TextThis text was written by Charleston, North Carolina student Harriet Hayles to display her writing skills. The text accompanied a map (see 2012-175,2) that Hayles copied from Herman Moll's printed map of Mexico or New Spain that was published about forty years previously. The page numbers (193) indicate that she was compiling an atlas.

Little is known about Hayles's life other than that she was an early recipient of geographic education for American women. The study of geography for girls began in England in the 1770s and was introduced to America around the time of the Revolution, taking off in the 1790s. Most mapmaking in schools was meant to reinforce learning about history and other academic pursuits, such as drawing, music, dance, and some embroidery.

The study of geography placed importance on the development of national identity by learning about the world and focusing on the new United States. The subject was typically taught using a method of hand copying geography books and maps. This exercise helped students learn geography, while developing students' penmanship, skills, artistic ability, and self-discipline.ProvenanceBefore 1968, E. Grosvenor Paine (New Orleans, LA); 1968-1971, purchased by Felix Herwig Kuntz [1890-1971] (New Orleans, LA); 1971-2005, descended through the family; 2005 (Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, LA, February 18-20, 2005, Lot 748); 2012, Cohen & Taliaferro LLC (New York, NY); 2012-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).