Emory — Map of America, Plate 3 c.1857
Emory — Map of America, Plate 3 c.1857
One of Emory's original 1857 lithographed maps of the American Southwest — part of his Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey (1848–1855). These maps represent the first authoritative American cartographic survey of the territories acquired from Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) and the Gadsden Purchase (1853).
Part of a set of 4: Available individually or as a matched set.
About William Hemsley Emory (1811–1887)
William Hemsley Emory was an American surveyor, civil engineer, and Army officer — a West Point graduate (1831) who served in the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. During the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), Emory served under General Stephen Watts Kearny in the Army of the West, producing the first thorough American survey of the Southwest territories newly acquired from Mexico.
About the Work
Emory's Notes of a Military Reconnaissance (Senate Executive Document 7, 30th Congress, 1st Session, 1848) documented his route from Fort Leavenworth, Missouri to San Diego, California — including parts of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila rivers. The accompanying maps are the first thorough examination of the region. Carl Wheat, in Mapping the Transmississippi West, calls them uniquely important because Emory was "meticulous in his astronomical observations" and scrupulously avoided "imaginary geography." Emory's later work on the U.S.-Mexico Boundary Survey (1848–1855) produced the definitive maps of the southern border.
Scarcity & Market Context
The 1848 Emory survey maps are well-represented institutionally but scarce on the private market. Complete sets of the survey atlas command $3,000–$8,000+ at specialist dealers like Geographicus and Barry Lawrence Ruderman. Individual maps — particularly the Grand Canyon and Rio Grande sheets — are prized by collectors of American Western expansion and Southwestern Americana. Reference: Wheat, Mapping the Transmississippi West, vol. 3, 544; Rumsey 3639.001.
Institutional Holdings
Complete copies at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Bancroft Library (UC Berkeley), the David Rumsey Map Collection, the Huntington Library, and major Western Americana collections.
Dimensions
Sheet approximately 18 × 22 inches (varies by plate)
Frame: This piece ships unframed — the sheet or plate only. We can recommend framers in your area or ship to your preferred framer. Professional framing with archival materials typically runs $150–$400 depending on size and finish.
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