Mitchell, John

A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. London: Printed for Jefferys and Faden, [ca. 1773]



Dissected into 24 segments and mounted on linen (53 1/2 x 77 in.; 1359 x 1956 mm) and edged in green silk ribbon, contemporary handcoloring; light toning, edging frayed. Original marbled slipcase, manuscript paper label; losses to top and sides.

Pritchard & Taliaferro, Degrees of Latitude 21 (state 5); Stevens & Tree 54d

A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America. London: Printed for Jefferys and Faden, [ca. 1773] Dissected into 24 segments and mounted on linen (53 1/2 x 77 in.; 1359 x 1956 mm) and edged in green silk ribbon, contemporary handcoloring; light toning, edging frayed. Original marbled slipcase, manuscript paper label; losses to top and sides.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Third edition, the primary political treaty map in American history. Regarded by many authorities as the most important map in the history of American cartography, twenty-one editions and impressions of the map appeared between 1755 and 1781.   John Jay used a copy of the third edition during the negotiations of what would become the Treaty of Paris (1783). It continued to be consulted in boundary disputes throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and even into the twentieth. It was used in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 (see lot 4), the Quebec boundary definition of 1871, the Canada-Labrador case (1926) and the Delaware-New Jersey dispute (1932), among others.