Old Rare Map of Canada by Chatelain, 1719: Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, St. Lawrence, Detroit, Montreal

2026-03-26T01:27:30+00:00

Price: 0.00 - 1975.00 (42 variants)

Henri Chatelain’s 1719 Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France, & des Decouvertes qui ont été faites presents an authoritative early-eighteenth-century vision of northern North America, sweeping from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi and up to the icy reaches of Hudson Bay. The composition is anchored by an ornate explanatory cartouche and a Remarque Historique that frames the rise of New France in learned prose. Within this grand tableau, Chatelain achieves a notable milestone: one of the first accurate placements of Detroit, charted only years after its founding, alongside the established colonial pillars of Montreal and Quebec. Rivers lace the land like arteries—the Ottawa, the Illinois, and the Mississippi among them—while the Great Lakes form a shimmering inland sea that structures the geography, the commerce, and the ambitions of an expanding Atlantic world.

Chatelain, the polymath compiler of the Atlas Historique, excelled at marrying rigorous geography with erudite narrative. Drawing on Guillaume De L’Isle’s groundbreaking measurements—especially the corrected outlines of the Great Lakes—he transformed technical cartography into an encyclopedic stage set for exploration and empire. His map is studded with annotations that name explorers and their routes, from the St. Lawrence corridor to the continental interior, and even nods to northern claims under the rubric of “Nouveau Danemarc.” The Remarque Historique situates these discoveries within a longer chronology, allowing the viewer to track how scattered voyages, trading posts, and mission stations congealed into a coherent French geographic imagination of Canada and its borderlands.

Water defines the structure and strategy of this map. The chain of Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario is rendered with a clarity that elevates their role as the hinge between the Atlantic and the continental heartland. Detroit sits precisely on the strait that links Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, a new linchpin controlling passage between upper and lower lakes. To the south and west, the Mississippi courses through French ambition, its corridor punctuated by forts such as St. Louis or Crevecoeur near today’s Peoria—evidence of La Salle’s bold design to connect the St. Lawrence world to the Gulf of Mexico. Chatelain’s labels and notes trace these waterborne corridors, revealing the practical pathways by which furs, news, and ideas moved.

The northern and western reaches mix empirical knowledge with tantalizing speculation. Along Hudson Bay and the subarctic coastlines, the map identifies the “Eskimaux,” while inland territories record the “Christinaux or Kilistinons,” reflecting Europe’s growing awareness of Indigenous homelands engaged in the fur trade. In the interior, the celebrated “Riviere Longue” appears—an echo of contemporary debates sparked by Baron de Lahontan—extending a hypothetical waterway toward the unknown West. Such features do not weaken the map; they articulate the boundary where confirmed observation yielded to conjecture, and where competing European claims, signaled by notes like “Nouveau Danemarc,” brushed the fringes of ice-choked seas and unmapped plains.

Politically, the sheet captures a moment when New France’s reach was broad but borders remained fluid, braided through alliances, rivers, and posts rather than fixed lines. Montreal and Quebec City emerge as keystones of administration and commerce, their influence projected through missions and forts that stud the lakeshores and riverbanks. Chatelain’s synthesis—De L’Isle’s precision enriched with historical commentary—turns the geography of Canada and the Great Lakes into a narrative of contest and connection. By uniting hard-won measurements with chronicles of explorers and nations, and by fixing Detroit with striking accuracy so early in its life, the map offers a rare, lucid window into how Europe pictured North America at a pivotal juncture.

Cities and towns on this map

Montreal

Quebec City

Detroit

Peoria (historically noted as the site of the fort 'St. Louis' or 'Crevecouer')

Notable Features & Landmarks

Major Bodies of Water: Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, several rivers including the Mississippi River.

Cartouche: An ornate decorative element that includes an explanation of the map’s content.

Notes on Exploration: Annotations detailing explorers and their associated discoveries, such as 'Nouveau Danemarc'.

Indigenous Tribes: Labels identifying regions inhabited by native tribes, such as the "Christinaux or Kilistinons" and "Eskimaux".

Mythical River: The representation of the "Riviere Longue".

Military Forts: Location of French forts like 'St. Louis' or 'Crevecouer'.

"Remarque Historique": A historical note explaining the context of New France throughout time.

Historical and design context

Date Created: 1719

Mapmaker: Henri Chatelain — produced as part of his Atlas Historique and known for enhancing earlier cartographic works, notably those of De L'Isle.

Themes: Political and physical representation of Canada, the Great Lakes, and surrounding areas; depicts significant explorers and discoveries, showcasing European exploration in North America.

Countries/Regions: Canada, regions around the Great Lakes, parts of present-day United States, and references to various indigenous tribes.

Design & Style: Features a rich and colorful depiction, with a highly ornate cartouche reflecting the artistic style of the period.

Historical Significance: One of the first maps to accurately locate Detroit shortly after its founding; represents a pivotal moment in North American cartographic history and offers insight into European understandings of the continent in the early 18th century.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 90in (230cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.