1730's map of Virginia by Johann Baptist Homann

Title: Virginia Marylandia et Carolina in America Septentrionali Britannorum industria excultae repraesentate

A detailed map by Johann Baptist Homann capturing the British colonies of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and southern New York

The map features the earliest known depiction of Germantown—labeled “Germantown Teutsche Statt”—founded by German immigrants on the Rappahannock River. Homann also includes Fort Christanna, established in 1714 as both a trading hub and defensive outpost on the Virginia frontier. Early counties in the Carolinas and inland Virginia are shown, along with Indian tribal lands, rivers, bays, and settlements.

Notably, Homann’s rendering of the western frontier includes a dramatically oversized and misplaced Lake Erie and the mythical “Apalache Lacus”—a fictional lake long believed to be the source of the May River, based on 16th-century maps. He even attributes parts of the interior, west of the colonies, to Spanish Florida.

The map is crowned by one of the most elaborate cartouches of the era, placed in the lower right corner: A grand scallop shell surrounded by allegorical figures of American Indians trading with European merchants, stylized alligators, and overflowing bounty from the sea and land—visual shorthand for the region’s promise of opportunity and abundance.

Published in Homann’s Atlas Novus, this map appeared between 1714 and 1730 and is considered one of the most decorative and influential colonial maps of the early 18th century. At a time when Germans were beginning to leave for America in increasing numbers—many as redemptioners or members of small religious sects—this map served as both orientation and invitation.

Size: 21" x 25"

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