Plan of Guantanimo, called by the English Cumberland Harbour.
1768 (undated) 10.75 x 7.75 in (27.305 x 19.685 cm)
1 : 91000
This is a 1768 Thomas Jefferys map or plan of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The map depicts the entirety of Guantanamo Bay and the surrounding area. Highly detailed, the shoreline of the bay is meticulously illustrated, including where the mouths of several rivers enter the bay. Locations around the bay are labeled, including Pidgeon Point and several islands within the bay. Trees are illustrated in profile and depth soundings are noted throughout the bay. Several salt flats are also labeled.
Guantanamo Bay has gained international notoriety, or even infamy, over the past over the past fifteen years due to the presence of a United States detention facility that was opened to house enemy combatants from the ongoing War on Terror. The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base has been leased by the U.S. from Cuba since 1903 and was captured during the Spanish-American War.
This map was created by Thomas Jefferys and published by Robert Sayer in 1768.
Thomas Jefferys (1695 - November 20, 1771) was one of the most prominent and prolific map publishers and engravers of his day. Jefferys was born in Birmingham and was apprenticed to the engraver Emmanuel Bowen in 1735. Later, in the 1740s he engraved several maps for the popular periodical The Gentleman's Magazine. Around 1740 Jefferys was finally able to go into business for himself and in 1746 received an appointment as 'Geographer to Fredrick, Prince of Wales,' which shortly after translated to the position of 'Royal Cartographer to King George III.' Jefferys specialized in compiling and re-engraving the works of earlier cartographers into more coherent cartographic wholes. While not salaried position, Jefferys appointment as 'Royal Cartographer' allowed him preferential access to the most up to date cartographic material available. He his best known for his maps of the America, particularly posthumously published 1775 American Atlas, which included some of the finest and most important late colonial era maps of America ever made. Despite his prolific publishing history, royal appointments, and international publishing fame, Jefferys lived most of his life in dire economic straits. It is recorded that he had to be bailed out of bankruptcy by the Sayer firm during the production of the plates for the American Atlas. In the end, Jefferys died with very little. Nonetheless, his cartographic legacy survived him, even after his death in 1771, many of his important maps continued to be published and republished by Sayer and Bennet, Conrad Lotter, Georges Louis Le Rouge, and others. Many attribute some of Jefferys best maps to the colorful and criminally inclined cartographic genius Braddock Mead, who is considered the 'secret behind Jefferys.' Jefferys was succeeded by his son, also Thomas, who had little success as a cartographer and eventually sold his stock and plates to William Faden.
Robert Sayer (1725 - 1794) and John Bennett (fl. 1770-1784) were an important English map and print publishing duo of the mid to late 18th century. In 1747 Sayer acquired the firm of Philip Overton from his sister-in-law, Mary Overton. From his London office on 55 Fleet St., Sayer began republishing the Overton map stock while acquiring and expanding the business with plates from other printers - including maps, portraits, and nautical engravings. Sayer partnered with Bennett sometime in the late 1760s. They published numerous works by various cartographers including Kitchen, Jefferys, Belling, d'Anville, among others. Upon Sayer's death, after nearly 50 years in the map trade, the firm was acquired by Laurie and Whittle, who would continue to republish revised and updated editions of his work for many years to come.
Very good. Blank on verso.