Nicolas de Fer

A French map of California as an island, by Nicolas de Fer.

• Nicolas de Fer (French).
• La Californie ou Nouvelle Caroline, Teatro de los Trabajos Apostolicos De Compa.e. Jesus en la America Sept. Dressé sur celle que le Viceroy de la Nouvelle Espagne...
• Paris: 1720.
• Original outline color.
• This work is presented unframed.

The largest representation of the island of California on a single-sheet map.

It is an enlarged version of Fer's map of 1700, allowing the 314 names in the original key to be moved onto the map. In place of the key is a text telling the history of California up to 1695, and four vignettes. Bottom left is a cartouche, illustrated with creatures including a Spoonbill and an armadillo, which seems to be lacking extra text.

Most of the detail in the Mexican interior comes from the work of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino (1645-1711), an Italian Jesuit. It is interesting that it was Kino first claimed California was joined to the mainland, as early as 1702.