Below are five sample captions and maps taken from ICT's 2008 calendar and
collection. We plan to expand this in the near future.
1)
1680 Caption - This map of Asia was drawn by the Dutch cartographer,
Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733) around 1680. In the 1600s, coastlines were more
accurate than interior lands on European maps and on this map, Tibet is in two
parts and separate from China. You can see Lhasa in the brown shaded area to
the right of the mythical lake from which Asia's major rivers flow. Lhasa, spelled
Lassa, is under the Kingdom of Barantola. On 17th and early 18th century maps,
Tibet was sometimes referred to as Barantola or Kingdom of Barantola, probably
meaning "country of Buddha" and may have Mongolian origins. You can
also see "Thibet" to the northwest of the lake, also in a brown colored
territory. The map may reflect some information found in Athanasius Kircher's
China Illustrata (1667), notably in its representation of Lhasa as not necessarily
within Tibet itself, which lies to its west. At the time China Illustrata appeared,
Tibet had not been incorporated into the Manchu Empire and was quite independent.
Source: Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g7400.ct001982
2)
This 1700 map of Asia was drawn by the well-known French cartographer
Guillaume de L'Isle (1675-1726). The description is in French and it shows the
"Kingdom of Grand Tibet" (Roy. Du Grand Tibet), Lhasa (Lassa), the
Tashi Lhunpo (Tache Linbou) monastery, Tsaparang (Chaparangue), the first Christian
church built in 1626, and other places. Tibet is shown as including the "Kingdom
of Ruthok" (Rudoc) and "Kingdom of Barantola," terms which also
appeared on the German cartographer Athanasius Kircher's 1667 map. It was also
thought to be bisected by a river that emptied into Lake Kokonor, which here
is labeled Black Sea (Mer Noire). Parts of the Tibetan province of Amdo (known
in Chinese as Qinghai) are shown as the southwestern tip of "Tartarie Chinois."
Tartary was a term used to designate land inhabited and ruled by Turkic and
Mongol peoples of the Turkic and Mongol Empires. Guillaume de L'Isle lived in
Paris and was one of the most influential cartographers of the first quarter
of the 18th century. The map was published in 1700 in Paris.
Source: Library of Congress, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g7400.ct001980
3)
1785 - This map, published in 1785, is by well known English cartographer
William Guthrie (1708-1770) titled "An Accurate Map of Asia, According
to the best Authorities." While it shows Amdo and Kham as part of Tibet,
much of western Tibet, that makes up today's "Tibet Autonomous Region,"
is shown as being part of Independent Tartary or Bukaria. As in previous maps
in the calendar, Mongolia and Manchuria are also shown as being part of Chinese
Tartary. The country of India encompasses Southeast Asia, and the Russian Empire
has emerged. Reflecting the nature of the Qing state as a Manchu empire of several
dominions, the map shows clear boundaries between China, "Chinese Tartary"
(including Manchuria and Mongolia) and Tibet.
Source: Library of Congress, Call number G114.G9 1785
4)
This 1860 map published by Samuel Augustus Mitchell, Jr. (1792-1868)
shows Tibet as encompassing the entire Tibetan plateau, including "Little
Tibet" which is now in Ladakh, India. Lake Yamdrok Tso, to the southwest
of Lhasa, is shown here as a circular lake, as it is on all maps prior to 1880.
And, Kanchenjunga (Kunghinginga) is shown at "28,178 feet, the highest
known mountain on the globe" (even though Mt. Everest was declared to be
the highest mountain in the world in 1852). This map also shows Tibet sharing
a common border with Burma. "Map of Hindoostan, Farther India, China, and
Tibet" was published by Samuel Augustus Mitchell, Jr. in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA.
Source: David Rumsey Map Collection: Cartography Associates
http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps2886.html
5)
This 1942 map, issued five weeks after the U.S. entered the Second World
War, is a fascinating slice of time, showing Allied and Axis controlled territories
and bases. The green area of China shows territory controlled by the Nationalist
Chinese under Chiang Kai Shek, whose government would soon flee to Taiwan. The
light purplish area in northeastern China is under Japanese occupation. Tibet
is shown here as independent, but does not include the northeastern province
of Amdo. Much of Kham is shown as part of the short-lived province of Xikang.
Printed by the map maker Rand McNally for oil company Sunoco, it features Lowell
Thomas, the famous radio broadcaster. He and his son, Lowell Thomas, Jr., would
travel to Tibet at the rare invitation of the Dalai Lama in 1949 when the Tibetan
government was trying to gain international attention, support and legitimacy.
Source: David Rumsey Map Collection: Cartography Associates
http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps920006-23822.html
