Map of Islands in the Indian Ocean

This striking map of the Islands in the Indian Ocean, created by John Tallis, drawn by John Rapkin, and published in 1851 for Tallis’s Illustrated Atlas and Modern History of the World, offers a detailed depiction of the region. It showcases the Seycelles, the Maldives, Bourbon, and Mauritius, with an inset detailing the Island of Mauritius. The map features decorative vignettes including of Point De Gall, Ceylon, and Port Louis in Mauritius, capturing the essence of these exotic locations.

Tallis and Company were map publishers based in London. They traded under various names including L.Tallis, John Tallis and John Tallis & Co.between 1838 and 1850. In 1851 their maps were published by the ‘London Printing and Publishing Co’., in both London and New York. Although he only issued one World Atlas, John Tallis, the founder of the firm, is among the best known of all map makers. The maps with small vignettes issued between 1850 and 1851 to commemorate the Great Exhibition in London are considered the last great series of decorative maps. They combine fine cartographical detail within an attractive border. Around the map there are several small but decorative vignettes depicting particular views, buildings, local inhabitants or the flora and fauna of that region.