[American Revolution]: [Wallis, John]:

$22,500 · Offered by William Reese Company

[UNTITLED ALLEGORICAL ENGRAVING AND MAP OF THE UNITED STATES FEATURING GEORGE WASHINGTON AND BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, CELEBRATING AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE]. A very rare engraved map of the newly independent United States, the first state without date or imprint. While not technically the first map of the United States following the Treaty of Paris (several old maps with re-engraved cartouches were published by Carrington Bowles and others in February), this may be one of the if not the first entirely original such work. The map itself fills a small oval in the center, with the surrounded allegorical image predominating: George Washington is depicted on the left with Lady Liberty, while Franklin sits surrounded by books with quill in hand, advised by Justice and Wisdom. Fame flies above the map, crowning it with a laurel wreath and blowing her trumpet. The map itself is fairly detailed despite its diminutive stature; the thirteen states are delineated alongside East and West Florida, Louisiana and the "Country of Mines" to the west, and a fair portion of Canada as far north as James Bay. Boston, Philadelphia, Jamestown, Charleston, and Savannah are also labeled, along with many bays and islands reaching to Hispaniola and Porto Rico.A much-reduced version of this engraving appeared as the title cartouche for Wallis's map, "The United States of America Laid Down from the Best Authorities, Agreeable to the Peace of 1783," published the following month. A second state of the present engrav

• Printing: first

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