1840 Map of Africa by Adrien Brué

Adrien Hubert Brué’s Carte encyprotype de l’Afrique (c. 1814–1840) is a monumental wall map engraved by the geographer himself using his distinctive “encyprotype” technique. Combining refined copperplate artistry with the limits of early 19th-century knowledge, it presents Africa with sharply rendered coasts and colonial enclaves—accurate along the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and West African littoral—contrasted against a vast, conjectural interior where mountain chains and river systems are dotted in or left blank as “unexplored.” Two insets of Île de France (Mauritius) and Île Bourbon (Réunion) highlight France’s colonial presence, while relief is shown through hachures in keeping with contemporary style. Issued in Brue’s Grand atlas universel and reprinted through the 1840s, the map reflects the tension between growing coastal accuracy and the persistent “terra incognita” of the African interior, standing as both a technical achievement in engraving and an emblem of Europe’s geographic curiosity in the decades before major inland exploration.

This map is a reproduction of a historical map that is now in the public domain. It has been selected for its aesthetic appeal and historical interest and carefully restored and reproduced to preserve its original detail and character.  There may be marks and fold lines visible which add to the authentic look.  The map is printed on 230gsm heavyweight coated paper with a matte finish.  Most old maps were printed on uncoated rag or wood pulp papers and therefore a matte finish best represents the original map.