Old Map of New Guinea
Price range: £35.55 through £59.95
Old Map of New Guinea and New Britain by Emanuel Bowen, 1744
Follow William Dampier’s voyage through the waters around New Guinea on Emanuel Bowen’s detailed eighteenth-century map. Dotted tracks, two compass roses and the separate outline of New Britain sit beside islands labelled Timor, Ceram and the Banda Isles. Published in 1744, the map looks back to the Roebuck expedition that began in 1699. Its restrained colour and extensive engraved commentary make a rewarding fine art print for anyone interested in historic voyages. Supplied unframed.
A stunning certified FINE ART PRINT on heavy textured art paper — not a poster
- Direct from the publisher — no middlemen
- Printed in-house in Cornwall
- Free UK delivery — international shipping available
- Produced to meet — and often exceed — museum-quality standards
Size
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Unlike most online offerings, our maps are produced entirely in-house, not outsourced to print-on-demand or drop-shipping services. This allows complete control over quality while offering better value. Each map begins with a high-resolution original, carefully enhanced and printed to order using archival papers and pigment inks for exceptional clarity, depth, and longevity. Every piece is personally overseen — no map leaves our workshop unless it is of a quality we would be proud to display ourselves.
Authentic Old Map Paper & Accurate Colour Reproduction
Paper choice is essential to the authenticity of our maps. We use specially sourced 190gsm paper made in the UK from pure materials and traditionally pressed with natural woollen felts. This process creates a subtle, randomly textured surface that closely resembles an original antique document. Likewise the use of premium quality ink fully saturates the paper, producing remarkable clarity, depth, and historical character. Colour fastness and sharpness will remain good for in excess of 100 years!
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Historical Background
Emanuel Bowen’s map presents New Guinea chiefly through its coasts and the routes taken around them. The great interior is largely blank, while headlands, islands and passages carry much more detail. Published in John Harris’s collection of voyages in 1744, it records an earlier expedition: the 1699 date in the title refers to Dampier’s Roebuck voyage, rather than the date of this engraving.
Map Details
- Original title: A Map of the Discoveries made by Captn. Willm. Dampier in the Roebuck in 1699
- Engraver: Emanuel Bowen
- Publication: John Harris’s A Complete Collection of Voyages and Travels
- Place and date: London, 1744
- Area shown: New Guinea, New Britain and neighbouring islands
Two compass roses spread navigational lines across the seas, while dotted tracks distinguish stages of the voyage. Timor and the islands to the west lead the eye towards New Guinea’s long northern coast. At the eastern end, Nova Britannia—New Britain—is drawn separately, making the passage between the two land masses one of the sheet’s defining features.
The long note beneath the map is as revealing as the geography. It discusses European knowledge of New Guinea and explicitly connects the newly recorded passage with prospects for colonial settlement and trade. Its claims about local peoples reflect European speculation and prejudice, rather than reliable ethnographic knowledge.
Reading the routes alongside that commentary gives the map a particular historical interest: it records both a voyage and the commercial ambitions attached to its publication. The lightly coloured coastlines leave the fine lettering and open spaces of the engraving clearly visible.