Map of the British Empire, 1905

The dawn of the twentieth century was the height of the British Empire and this map is a beautiful visual history of the 11 million square miles which was home to 400 million citizens of the crown. This full color reproduction of the contemporary 1905 world map shows details of global trade including the furs of fox, bear, seal and otter brought from the shores of Canada's Lake Athabasca by canoes in summer and dog sleds in winter; cochineal, indigo and vanilla from central America; teak and bamboo from Siam; cinnamon and pearls from Ceylon; tortoise shells and birds of paradise from New Guinea, as well as minerals and foodstuffs from all over the world. In the Sahara the map notes that slaves were traded. Coaling stations, telegraph cables, railways and caravan routes are all marked. Additional maps show the development of the Empire in the preceding three centuries. A ten page gazetteer describes over 200 British countries and possessions, as well as 33 (including Normandy and the USA) which had been lost to the crown.

The map is folded within a sleeve in a keepsake portfolio package which features an authentic period cover and an explanation of the map's historical significance.