Historical Map, 1746 AmeIrique Septentrionale, Vintage Wall Art

D'Anville, the French royal geographer during the mid-18th century, compiled over 200 maps, including this one of North America. Although this particular copy is dated 1746 reflecting the map's original publication, it must have been issued after 1763 since the coloring delineates boundaries established at the conclusion of the French and Indian War. Prior to the war, France claimed an extensive empire in the interior parts of North America. These possessions, which were only sparsely occupied primarily by fur traders in alliance with the Indians, extended in an arc from the Gulf of St. Lawrence through the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The settled areas were concentrated in Acadia, Canada, Illinois, and southern Louisiana. According to the provisions of the Paris Peace Treaty (1763), England took control of the French lands east of the Mississippi River and north to Hudson Bay, while Spain claimed the lands west of the Mississippi River. France's remaining possessions, which were colored red on the map, were located in the Caribbean and included Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique.