Mappe - Monde Divisée en Deux Hémisphères Oriental et Occidental

Map of the World into Two Hemispheres by Jean-Baptiste Poirson, published by Jean, a publisher on Rue St. Jean de Beauvais in Paris, around 1822.

The map is famous for incorporating the "latest discoveries" of famous explorers of the time, as illustrated by the title, which specifically mentions the voyages of Bougainville, Surville, Carteret, Wallis, Furneaux, and Captain Cook. It represents a fundamental transition between the purely decorative cartography of the 18th century and the more scientific, detail-oriented cartography of the 19th century, accurately reflecting the new contours of the Australian coasts and the Pacific islands discovered during the great naval expeditions.

In addition to the two main hemispheres, the map includes several scientific and astronomical elements typical of the time; small circular inserts in the corners show the projections of the North and South Poles. At the bottom center is an armillary sphere, an astronomical instrument used to show the motion of celestial bodies. Additional small circles show the climate zones and the projections of the antipodes.

Jean-Baptiste Poirson (March 6, 1761 – February 12, 1831) was a French engineer, globe maker, geographer, and cartographer active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. After completing his studies in mathematics, he began working for the map publisher Edme Mentelle (1730–1815). From around 1790, maps bearing the Poirson imprint began to appear.

Etching, finely hand-colored, some paper creases, otherwise in excellent condition.