Original antique map of China. This map was produced by John Russell and produced for the 1811 edition of William Guthrie's "A System of Modern Geography".
The European maps published in 1811 (like those by Russell and Pinkerton) were often the direct result of the "scientific rationale" and detailed surveys brought back by the Macartney Embassy nearly 20 years earlier. Macartney’s mission was the first to allow British cartographers like John Barrow to traverse the interior of China, providing the "best authorities" that 1811 mapmakers frequently cited in their titles.
Provinces and islands are depicted, the Grand Canal is shown and the Great Wall is detailed. Russell used Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville' s map of China, published in the previous century to obtain some of the cartographic information for his own map. And d'Anville' used information gathered by the French Jesuits working for the Chinese Emperor. They had completed several land surveys commissioned by the Emperors in the early part of the 18th century, and this information led to the maps of D'Anville and Russell being of greater accuracy than other European maps of China at the time.
John Russell (c. 1750–1829), a celebrated member of the Royal Academy, was not only noted for his portrait artistry in pastel but also for his dedication to astronomy and cartography. His maps are admired for both scientific and visual quality.
