FADEN, William (1750-1836)

Plan of the City and Environs of Philadelphia Survey'd by N. Scull and G. Heap

London: March 12th, 1777. Copper-engraving on laid paper. Sheet size: 29 1/2 x 21 5/8 inches.

An exceptionally fine example of the best map of the environs of Philadelphia from the Revolutionary War period.

At the beginning of the Revolution, there were few if any current maps of the environs of Philadelphia, which would become a major theatre of war. To remedy this deficiency, William Faden published an enlarged, revised version of Scull & Heap's 1752 A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent. Faden retained the large-scale rendering of Independence Hall ("the State House"), but moved it to the lower margin of the map. Most importantly, Faden added new details, including the American military defences of the city as of late 1776. A first state, which was published March 12th, 1777, became obsolete by the opening of the Philadelphia campaign later in the year. Two later editions were published, incorporating increasingly detailed military information. This is the third state, which shows the defenses along the Delaware River to the south of the city in their most sophisticated form. The river has been extended southward, for example, and now includes Billingsfort Island in the river, and Billings Fort on the Jersey Bank. Cheveaux des frises connect the island and fort. The Delaware River fortifications were considered so formidable that the British refused to tackle them, but marched their army over land, and after the Battle of Brandywine, attacked the city from behind.

Edwin Wolf, Philadelphia Portrait of an American City, p. 70 (State 1); Martin P. Snyder, City of Independence, 47B; Stevens & Tree, Comparative Cartography, 69c. Nebenzahl, Atlas of the American Revolution no. 26.

Item #39878

Price: $8,000.00