Old Topographical Map of France by Bartholomew, 1955: Paris, Alps, Pyrenees, Rhône, Corsica

2026-04-25T23:48:11+01:00

Precio: 0.00 - 1975.00 (42 variants)

France, Plate 67, V. III offers a consummate view of the nation as envisioned in 1955 by John Bartholomew for The Geographical Institute, Edinburgh, within The Times Atlas of the World, Mid-Century Edition. In elegant, controlled color, metropolitan France unfolds from the cliffs of the Channel to the Pyrenean ramparts and the glittering sweep of the Mediterranean, with a dedicated inset rendering of Corsica. Political and physical realities are held in a poised balance: borders and place-names are set with calm authority, while gradient tints and spot heights model the terrain in nuanced depth. Roads, railways, and rivers thread the landscape, binding an urban constellation that includes Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Bordeaux, and Lille.

The Bartholomew imprint—synonymous with clarity, accuracy, and typographic finesse—animates this plate. Under John Bartholomew’s direction, the Edinburgh institute perfected a language of color-layered relief and legible hierarchies that became the gold standard of mid-century cartography. As part of a five-volume atlas accompanied by an index of over 200,000 names, the plate exemplifies the project’s scholarly ambition: a harmonization of up-to-date geographic intelligence with refined visual grammar. The Times collaboration yielded authoritative mapping for an era reconciling scientific precision with elegant design, and this France stands as a signature demonstration of that ethos—disciplined, beautiful, and deeply informative.

Physical France emerges in sculptural detail. The Alps flare along the Italian frontier, grading from the crystalline summits to the Rhône valley, while the Pyrenees stretch in serried ridges from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The Massif Central rises as a volcanic heartland, offset by the gentle Armorican uplands of Brittany, the rounded Vosges, and the Jura’s limestone arc. Major rivers—the Seine, Loire, Garonne, and Rhône with its Saône tributary—are plotted as organizing spines, draining to the Channel, Bay of Biscay, and the Gulf of Lion. Estuaries and deltas—most notably the Gironde and the Camargue—are carefully shaped, and the Strait of Dover, Atlantic littoral, and Côte d’Azur coastlines are crisply articulated.

Political and human geographies interlace with equal care. National borders are crisply stated against Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium, while regional and departmental demarcations—echoing historic provinces—structure the interior. A dense road and railway lattice traces economic corridors: the Paris-to-Lille axis into the Low Countries; the Seine valley down to Channel ports; the classic Paris–Lyon–Marseille line along the Rhône; Atlantic routes to Nantes and Bordeaux; and transversal links to Toulouse and Montpellier. Urban hierarchies are instantly legible, distinguishing great cities from market towns and strategic junctions, with ports such as Marseille and Bordeaux anchoring maritime trade and Strasbourg signaling the diplomatic hinge of the northeast.

Corsica receives its own finely scaled treatment in the inset, a jewel-like island rising steeply from the Mediterranean. Gradient tints and spot heights convey the island’s mountainous spine, while the coastal placements of Ajaccio and Bastia, and the ring of roads knitting harbors to interior valleys, are delineated with Bartholomew’s unhurried precision. Taken together, the mainland plate and Corsican inset form a mid-century testament: France captured at a moment of reconstruction and modern connectivity, its landscapes, borders, and cities rendered with serene authority. It is both a document of contemporary geography and a lasting work of cartographic art, where every color wash and line advances understanding.

Cities and towns on this map

France:

Paris (Population: ~2,148,000)

Marseille (Population: ~861,000)

Lyon (Population: ~513,000)

Toulouse (Population: ~490,000)

Nice (Population: ~344,000)

Nantes (Population: ~318,000)

Strasbourg (Population: ~287,000)

Montpellier (Population: ~280,000)

Bordeaux (Population: ~252,000)

Lille (Population: ~232,000)

Corsica:

Ajaccio (Population: ~70,000)

Bastia (Population: ~45,000)

Notable Features & Landmarks

Insets: Separate inset map dedicated to Corsica.

Physical Features: Relief illustrated through gradient tints and spot heights.

Political Boundaries: Clearly defined borders between regions and provinces.

Road Networks: Extensive depiction of roads and railways.

Water Bodies: Major rivers, lakes, and the Mediterranean Sea illustrated.

City Markings: Major cities and towns indicated, with varying labels to denote significance.

Historical and design context

Date of creation: 1955.

Mapmaker/Publisher: John Bartholomew; The Geographical Institute Edinburgh.

Publication context: Part of The Times Atlas of the World, Mid-Century Edition (1955–1959), with an index of 200,000+ names.

Map themes: Detailed political and physical geography, including elevation, waterways, and urban development.

Design style: Full-color with gradient tints to illustrate relief and depth; meticulous mid-20th-century cartographic detailing.

Historical significance: Documents advances in cartographic techniques and France’s mid-20th-century geography.

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