1875 PETERMANN 9 Sheet Grand Survey of AUSTRALIA - Rare

Specialkarte von Australien

SET OF NINE copperplate engravings, original hand colour, 40.5 cm x 32.5 cm plate size, 120 cm x 100 cm image area full map size, 46 cm x 39 cm individual sheet size, Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1875

We are pleased to offer this scarce and important grand survey of Australia by the renowned German geographer August Petermann (1822-1878).   Director of the Geographic Institute of the Justus Perthes publishing firm in Gotha and editor of its famous Stieler atlases, Petermann also founded and edited the journal Petermann's Mitteilungen, one of the most influential publications on geography and exploration of the 19th century.   To understand Petermann's global reputation when he issued this unprecedented map of Australia in 1875, consider that the then current edition of the Larousse Grand Dictionnaire (1874) included the statement that "today Petermann is regarded in all civilised nations as the premier authority of our epoch on the subject of geography".  This groundbreaking map has its genesis in Petermann's long correspondence with the German botanist and explorer Ferdinand von Mueller (1825-1896) who Petermann famously described as "The Humboldt of Australia".  Throughout Mueller's many travels he constantly updated Petermann with the latest geographic findings, making a point of writing on a monthly basis from 1861 until Petermann's death in 1878.  Mueller arranged for the Survey Department of the Australian Colonies to send Petermann copies of dozens if not hundreds of maps from their offices and saw to it that Petermann received copies of every published account of exploring expeditions.  Petermann was able to use this diverse material to create the most detailed and up to the minute map of the entire continent ever seen - a true landmark of 19th century cartography, and with its elegant engraving and fine hand colour one that does not neglect the aesthetic side of mapmaking either.  Jürgen Espenhorst in his magisterial study of 19th century German atlas production Petermann's Planet has suggested that Petermann specified full wash hand colour for the map (atypical of his usual colouring approach) to help disguise how little was actually known about the terrain of the interior.  Whatever the reason, the result is a masterfully engraved and beautifully hand coloured map with soft blue for littoral waters that would make a stunning presentation if trimmed, joined, matted and framed or could also be mounted on linen to create a folding map, as is the case on most of the very few surviving examples.  Beyond the photos and description provided here, a zoomable digitised example of the map is available for perusal at the website of the National Library of Australia here.

We begin our survey of the map at a remote location in the southwest Northern Territory.  The region was explored by Ernest Giles (1835-1897) in 1874 and his expeditions are carefully delineated on the map.  But perhaps the real motivation for Petermann undertaking the map is seen below - Giles, believed to be the first non-aboriginal person to sight the mountain ranges south of Amadeus Lake at Mueller's suggestion named them for Petermann!  Hence Petermann wrote to Mueller on 16 December 1874 thanking him for the honour calling him "my high patron in the Antipodes" and that he would also "think of the obliging Mr. Giles".

Slightly east of the Petermann Range we find the iconic Ayers Rock or Uluru, with the note of William Gosse's 1873 expedition to the site and its "discovery": 

Turning to a more populated are we visit New South Wales.  To get a sense of the meticulous detail with which these plates were engraved consider that the distance from Sydney to Queanbeyan near the future site of Canberra (still decades away from establishment when the map was published) as seen in the enlarged photo below measures just 7 cm actual size:

Note muscular hachure engraving work for topography:

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