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[America] MELISH, John (1771-1822).
Map of the United States with the Contiguous British and Spanish Possessions.
Engraved map with original color on 50 segements and mounted on linen.
Philadelphia: James Finlayson, 1823.
43 1/2” x 57” sheet, 50” x 63” framed.
The First Map to Show the Idea of Manifest Destiny.
Melish published the first American-produced wall map depicting the country from coast to coast in 1816, distinguishing him as “the leading American map publisher of the second decade and placed American maps on equal footing with those produced by the prestigious firms in London and Paris.” (Schwartz and Ehrenberg). Melish was inspired to create a large wall map of America by a friend who wrote to him during the progress of war. a very respectable Friend in Philadelphia, when talking of the Map of the Seat of War, said ˜I wish friend John, thee would make a Map of the Seat of Peace." The hint was not lost. The author had seen the good effects of maps, particularly when accompanied by descriptions” (Ristow). Determined to keep his maps contemporary, Melish reissued numerous revisions of his maps: new editions, in a total of 24 issues, of this map were published in 1818, 1819, 1820, and 1823.