NOVA BELGICA ET ANGLIA NOVA

Date1635

Cartographer Willem Janszoon Blaeu 1571 - 1638

Publisher Willem Janszoon Blaeu 1571 - 1638

Publisher Joan Blaeu 1596 - 1673

OriginEurope, Netherlands, Amsterdam

MediumLine engraving on laid paper with hand coloring

DimensionsOverall: 15 1/4 × 19 3/4in. (38.7 × 50.2cm)
Framed: 23 × 26 3/8 × 7/8in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1968-128

DescriptionThe right center cartouche reads: " NOVA/ BELGICA/ ET/ ANGLIA/ NOVA"Label TextAn effective complement to the Smith map that focuses on the coastline and waterways, this map by William Blaeu supplies more detail on the terrain. Blaeu's intent was to supply the East India Company with maps of the region because of its interest in the New England fur trade. The profits realized from this trade served as a primary catalyst for map production in the northern colonies.

Like many of the early maps illustrating North America, the orientation is with north to the right.ProvenanceBefore 1968, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1968-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).