The Turgot Map of 1734-1739 (printed in full over a number of years)
In 1734 Michel-Etienne Turgot (1690-1751) was the chief administrator of the city of Paris. He ordred the map to be created by Louis Bretez who then had the power to enter all the city's buildings and gardens.This was one of the last maps to be drawn in what is called "false perspective," that is, looking down on the city from a bird's eye viewpoint, though not even the hot air balloon had been invented yet. It was all done through the theory of perspective. This map is a truly remarkable creation. The original was in color and to look at it makes one feel that he or she is actually walking the streets of Paris. It is totally accurate. Paris was a lot smaller in the 18th century than it is now. The developed areas were compact and there was much open air from farms and the gardens of the great Abbayes. It is remarkable to see how tall the apartment buildings were (and the water had to be brought up the stairs). It was a truly bustling city and by the time Jefferson arrived the population was about 600,000. You can look at the rest of the map and expand it to a very large size at: Kyoto University, Japanhttp://edb.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/exhibit-e/f28/index.html The Kyoto University Site has many more fascinating images from 18th century France. To view the Turgot map click on the top image titled Map of Paris. The Kyoto version magnifies to greater size than the University of Southern Maine site, below. or The University of Southern Mainehttp://usm.maine.edu/maps/exhibit7/turgot.html
Map of Paris commissioned by Turgot printed 1734-1739. You can see a larger version by clicking on the map or an even larger version by going to one of the on-line sites listed in the column to the left.
Other Sites with Magnificent Historical Maps of Paris
