Gift of
Ray Nasher

Ornate Wall Map of America, 1781

Desnos, Louis Charles. Nle. Carte d’Amerique/Amerique Septrentrionale et Meridonale.... (Paris, 1781). Hand-colored engraved wall map on four sheets joined with attached borders, 45 x 42 inches. Desnos’ ornate 18th-century wall map depicts the incomplete geography of the still unexplored North American West. Highly ornate border panels, accompanied by descriptive text, surround the map, presenting scenes from American history and life.