Historic Map : MalteBrun Map of France, 1833, Vintage Wall Art

This is a fine example of Conrad Malte-Brun's 1833 map of France. The map covers France divided according to its constituent departments. An inset in the lower right quadrant details the island of Corsica while the inset on the upper right quadrant focuses on Paris.

The French Department system was established on March 4th, 1790 by the National Constituent Assembly to replace the provinces with what the Assembly deemed a more rational political structure. The new department system was intended to deliberately break up France's historical regions in an attempt to erase cultural differences and build a more homogeneous nation. Initially there were 83 departments but by 1800 that number increased to roughly 130. Many of the departments that were created in 1790 remain the administrative districts to this day.

Various cities, towns, rivers, lakes and other topographical details are marked, with relief shown by hachures. Boundaries are outlined with color according to departments and territories. This map was issued as plate no. 32 in Conrad Malte-Brun's 1837 Atlas Complet du Precis de la Geographie Universelle.