Historic Map : Mitchell Antique Map of European Russia, Scandinavia, Denmark, Holland and Belgium, 1846, Vintage Wall Art

This is a fine example of S. A. Mitchell's 1846 map of Russia. The whole is engraved in Mitchell's distinctive style with green border work and vivid pastels. Political and topographical features are noted and color coded with elevation rendered by hachure. Mitchell's map covers European Russia from the Baltic to the Ural Mountains and from Lapland to the Crimea. An inset table in the lower right quadrant lists the regional governments of Russia.

When this map was printed, Russia was ruled by Tsar Nicholas I who adopted the doctrine of 'Orthodoin xy, Autocracy, and Nationality' and was known to be one of the most reactionary monarchs in Russia. In 1825, Russian army officers, called the Decembrists, protested against Nicholas I's ascension to the throne. The Decembrists, so named because their revolt started in December, favored Nicholas I's brother, Constantine, who seemed amenable to a British style constitutional monarchy. When Constantine abdicated the throne in 1825, the Decembrists refused to accept the more autocratic rule of Nicholas I. Had Constantine not abdicated and the Decembrists been successful, the bloody Bolshevik Revolution may never have occurred.

This map was prepared by S. A. Mitchell for publication as plate no. 60 in the 1846 edition of Mitchell's New General Atlas.