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Cuba/ Havana. COELLO, D. F. [Madrid, 1851 & 1855] Isla De Cuba (both sheets with same title) Each, 30 x 41 1/2 inches. Pair of folding maps on heavy paper, with original outline color, in original covers; some discoloration at a few folds, very slight wear at fold intersections, else excellent. Francisco Coello de Portugal y Quesada (1822 - September 30, 1898) was a Spanish cartographer, explorer, and military engineer active in the mid-19th century. He was born in Jaen, Spain, and joined the military in 1833, enrolling at the Special Army Corps of Engineers Academy of Guadalajara. Upon graduating with honors he joined the Corps of Military Engineers, where after serving in the First Carlist War and later in Algeria, he attained the rank of Colonel. Coello later founded the Geographical Society of Madrid and served many years as its president. He was also a corresponding member of the American Geographical Society and a full member of the Real Sociedad Geográfica de España. Coello's greatest work, his monumental Atlas de España y sus posesiones de Ultramar, was interrupted by his death in 1898 and consequently never completed. Nevertheless, the work is of historical significance for providing first scientifically produced maps of Spain, Cuba, and Porto Rico. Cueto, Cuba in Old Maps, nos. 84 & 217.
A scarce pair of maps that provided the best and most complete mapping of Cuba to date, and works of uncommon precision and detail. One sheet, dated 1855, contains a large, general map of the island with several insets of cities and regions. The second sheet, dated 1851, contains plans of major cities, including a particularly detailed one of Havana. Both maps are in their original covers, both of which bear the title, Atlas de Espana.
Price: $1,500.00