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A map of Virginia and Maryland - Public domain old map

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A map of Virginia and Maryland - Public domain old map

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Summary

Public domain image of the vintage map from NYPL Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, 16th-17th century, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description. The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division is one of the world’s premier map collections in terms of size, scope, unique holdings, diversity, and intensity of use. Established in 1898, our holdings include more than 433,000 sheet maps and 20,000 books and atlases.

In the 17th century, maps took a huge leap forward. Mathematical and astronomical knowledge necessary to make accurate measurements had evolved. English mathematicians had perfected triangulation: navigation and surveying by right-angled triangles. Triangulation allowed navigators to set accurate courses and produced accurate land surveys. Seamen learned to correct their compasses for declination and had determined the existence of annual compass variation. Latitude determination was greatly improved with the John Davis quadrant. The measurement of distance sailed at sea was improved by another English invention, the common log. Longitudinal distance between Europe and Québec was determined by solar and lunar eclipses by the Jesuit Bressani in the 1640s and by Jean Deshayes in 1686. With accurate surveys in Europe, the grid of the modern map began to take shape.

date_range

Date

1676
person

Contributors

Bassett, Thomas, Bookseller
Chiswell, Richard, Publisher
Speed, John (1552?-1629), Cartographer
Lamb, Francis, Engraver
create

Source

New York Public Library
copyright

Copyright info

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication")

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