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HDVB - Me Maudieu

198 - [Cartography] Atlas of the departments, entirely drawn by a …
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Estimate €200 - €400
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Description
[Cartography] Atlas of the departments, entirely drawn by a mine guard in Nevers, 1843 ‘Atlas of the Departments of France’, 1843, ‘by C.J. Lauchet’, bound in half-sheepskin quarto, 2 title pages, table of maps, followed by a folded map of the Kingdom of France, detailed maps of the 86 departments + a folded map of Algeria, on vellum paper, all drawn in ink with watercolour highlights Charles Jean Lauchet was born in Dôle in 1821, the son of a lawyer. In 1843, he held the post of mining inspector stationed in Nevers. In 1843, the mining inspector (or ‘garde-mines’) held an essential and, at that time, very recent role within the Mining Administration. Established by a decree of 18 February 1840 under the July Monarchy, this post was designed to assist engineers by acting as their ‘eyes and ears’ directly in the field. Whilst the engineer based at the Nevers office oversaw the district and managed the senior administration, the mine inspector was the local technical officer who descended into the shafts and surveyed the quarries on a daily basis. Under the July Monarchy, to oversee the height of the Industrial Revolution, French territory was divided by the Corps des Mines into specialised administrative districts known as ‘mineralogical districts’. Nevers was, in fact, the administrative centre of the 11th mineralogical district. The mining administration based in Nevers did not merely manage local affairs in the Nièvre; its influence extended across an industrial and mining area of great strategic importance to the country’s economy. This office, headed by a chief mining engineer, was responsible for overseeing several departments: Nièvre (with the major coal mines at La Machine (Decize) and the large metallurgical works at Guérigny and Fourchambault), Allier (encompassing the rich mining and steel-producing basin of Commentry), and the Cher. The choice of Nevers as the administrative headquarters was a natural one, given its geographical position at the crossroads of these iron and coal-mining regions. Furthermore, the proximity of the Loire and the canals provided crucial transport routes for conveying these essential resources to Paris. At that time, the cartographic market was dominated by leading figures such as Hérisson and the widow Tardieu-Denesle, who published engraved departmental atlases. However, these commercial works often suffered from a time lag between the field surveys and publication. A hand-drawn atlas produced by a local official such as Lauchet made it possible to incorporate up-to-the-minute data, notably the new routes of departmental roads, railway lines under construction and the precise state of navigation on the Loire and the Cher.
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Auction time 07/11/2026 at 11:00 AM
Lot description modified on 06/25/2026 at 10:54 AM
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