An antique steel engraved map of Calcutta including Fort William, the River Hooghly and the village of Howrah (which became the “City of Joy” of book and movie fame). The map was originally published in 1842 by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). This edition of the map was republished from the original plates in 1852. A few years later, after the 1857 Mutiny, Calcutta became the capital of British India and one of the great cities of the British Empire. The SDUK was founded in 1826 to provide maps and other information for educational purposes in England.
Unusually for SDUK maps, this map includes well-executed, intricate engravings of two buildings (both still extant) and a scene from the banks of the river. The map also includes a legend which identifies many public and church buildings. (Useful for time travelers). The map is also interesting for showing the horse racing course (still there), and the defensive parameter, now called The Maidan, which the East India Company Army cleared around Fort William to help repel attacks from local Nawabs in the 18th century.

Although this map is not extremely rare, it is an important document to anyone interested in the history of the British Raj and map collectors. An interesting gift or present.
Original colour. Professionally framed - gold wood frame with a band of green that picks up the same colour in the map. Professionally framed and backed on to hard wood.
Great gift for that hard to buy for 'man', suitable for libraries, study, man cave or den.
**Subsidised shipping.

Three separate plates below the main illustrative map depict the Writers Building, Government House and Esplanade Row, with a listing reference guide to public buildings, churches and chapels in the city. Fort William and the Hoogly River feature.