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OUR
REPRODUCTION MAPS
The Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Map and the Map of Louisiana
and New France (Louisiane et Nouvelle France) are a reproduction
of the geographical knowledges of 18th century people about the
New World. In this sense, they could not be as precise as contemporary
maps with referrence to rivers,
mountains, spelling, scale etc.
On the other hand, being the result of a thorough research through
a number of antique maps, they are a most
comprehensive coverage
of all the existing early settlements, forts, most important  trade
routs, location
of Indian tribes and
unexplored areas, something
that you could not find in any other original map.
In
order to recreate the atmosphere
of the epoch, our reproduction maps are produced using materials
and techniques that date back to the 18th century.
The maps
are printed using the intaglio method. Lines are bitten into
the metal plate (usually copperplate), through the use of acid.
To begin with, the plate is covered with a thin, acid-impervious
coating called a ground. Lines are drawn through the ground with
a stylus baring the metal of the plate. Acid is then applied which
eats into the exposed areas. The longer the plate is exposed to
the acid, the deeper the bite and therefore the stronger the line.
The
copperplates are engraved with great skill and precision and printing
is accomplished with a manual press, each map is therefore an original
which differs from the others in small but important ways.
The paper used is thick, hand made from pure cotton.
 Another
important step is the coloring of the work. This is done with a
separate copperplate using the aquatinta techniques, by artists
specialised in their use. The artists keep in mind the centuries
that have gone by in order to give the right composition and tonality
to the colours so that the beauty of the map can be finally revealed.
We
think our maps are an affordable alternative to purchasing original
antique maps. At the same time we do not aim at offering you an
indistinguishable copy of an original map, reproduced in any way.
Our maps are in fact originals, drawn in the style of the 18th century,
each detail of the map is a separate piece of art and the map as
a whole is historically true. The fact is that our map was chosen
among many others to be exhibited at the Jefferson's America and
Napoleon's France exhibition in the New Orleans Museum of Art, celebrating
the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial.
ggrozdew@yahoo.com
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