A New Map of the Island and Kingdom of Corsica- By Thomas Jefferys

• Created By: Thomas Jefferys
• Medium: Copperplate engraving
• Publish Details: London: Laurie and Whittle, 1794
• Measurements: 28 3/4 x 21 1/2 in. (sheet)
• Conditions: Very good condition, small sections missing from margins. However, it contains excellent original color and image is still sharp. 

Thomas Jefferys (c. 1719–1771) was among the most accomplished and influential English cartographers of the eighteenth century, celebrated for his detailed maps of North America and the West Indies. Based in London, Jefferys trained under the noted engraver and mapmaker Emanuel Bowen and established himself as a prolific publisher, engraver, and geographer whose work set a high standard for accuracy and craftsmanship.

Throughout his career, Jefferys collaborated with several prominent contemporaries, including Thomas Kitchin, with whom he published The Small English Atlas (1748–49), and Robert Sayer, who later issued many of Jefferys' most important works. Among these were A General Topography of North America (1768), The American Atlas, The North-American Pilot, and The West-India Atlas, publications that became indispensable references during a period of intense colonial expansion and exploration.

This map of Corsica is particularly notable for the moment in history at which it was published. Issued in May 1794, it appeared just three months before British forces successfully wrested the island from French control during the War of the First Coalition. The campaign was led in part by the then little-known Captain Horatio Nelson, whose actions in Corsica marked an important early chapter in the career of the future victor of Trafalgar.

Maps bearing the Jefferys imprint are highly regarded for their precise engraving, historical importance, and enduring decorative appeal. They remain among the most desirable examples of eighteenth-century British cartography, sought after by collectors for their beauty, rarity, and their vivid record of the geography of the colonial world. Beyond its cartographic appeal, the map offers a fascinating snapshot of Corsica on the eve of a dramatic political and military transition. Its contemporary relevance at the time of publication, coupled with its connection to Nelson's rise and Britain's brief occupation of the island, makes it an especially desirable piece for collectors of Napoleonic history, British naval history, and eighteenth-century maps.