John Mitchell's Map of North America (1755): A Study of the Use and Publication of Official Maps in Eighteenth‐Century Britain

Abstract

John Mitchell's famous map of North America stands as an archetype of the official publication of maps in eighteenth‐century Britain. It was, however, the product of a special effort by the Earl of Halifax, president of the Board of Trade, who sought to advance his own aggressive agenda with respect to the British empire in North America in the run‐up to the Seven Years' War (1756–1763, known in North America as the French and Indian War, 1755–1760), to persuade his ministerial colleagues both directly through negotiation and indirectly by manipulating public opinion. This re‐evaluation of Mitchell's work concludes that its archetypal status is unwarranted. The practices that were developed by administrators in London and the colonies for commissioning, using and circulating regional maps are examined. A distinction is made between the use by officials of printed maps as sources for general geographical knowledge and of manuscript maps for knowledge specific to certain administrative issues. Then the origins of Mitchell's map are re‐examined. The conclusion reached is that the map is truly innovative: it was the result of a uniquely successful solicitation of information from the colonies and its publication broke with the established patterns of map circulation and consumption.