Search

The cartouche on this early 19th century map of Asia features a drawing of an Asian merchant smoking a long pipe while standing with his goods. Behind are a camel and an elephant surrounded by greenery and palm trees.

A late 18th century map of Asia, with notes on the principal states, empires and kingdoms of Asia written in French on the right-hand side.

This map of Asia features four different scales: French, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. Each country had their own measuring system, so this was not uncommon at the time.

This map of Asia features four different scales: French, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. Each country had their own measuring system, so this was not uncommon at the time.

The arrows on this map mark the direction of the seasonal monsoons experienced in the South China Sea and Philippine Sea during the late 18th century. Each arrow has a label indicating the month.

This 18th century map of Southeast Asia by the French cartographer Gilles Robert de Vaugondy features the national borders of the Philippines in green, and of modern Indonesia in yellow. The Malay Peninsula and modern Cambodia and Vietnam are in red.