Name: John Tallis
Dates: Born 1818, flourished c.1840-50
Map types: Highly decorative steel-engraved city and country maps.
As far as decorative city plans of the nineteenth century are concerned, Tallis is perhaps the first name that springs to mind, and with good reason. Working in conjunction with practised map engravers such as John Rapkin, as well as highly skilled decorative engravers, like Henry Winkles, Tallis published aesthetically stunning collections of city plans and country maps.
The hub of map-making in Britain in the early to mid-nineteenth century, was around the London ward of Cripplegate, and it was here, in this cartographic cauldron of creativity and craftsmanship.Tallis, after moving from his Worcestershire home in the 1830s, founded his own company as a publisher of maps, atlases and other works; flourishing from around 1838 until c.1850. He founded the firm: 'John Tallis and Company' and worked with John Rapkin as his principal map engraver. In 1849 Tallis published his splendid volume, 'The Illustrated Atlas'. It comprised regional maps of the world, and, in some editions, a superb series of engraved city and town plans. Each map and plan is adorned with a decorative border and lovely vignettes of specific relevance to that particular area. A number of Tallis' atlases were printed uncoloured, but some owners chose to 'finish' the maps by employing colourists to add colour. Tallis' maps have always proved very popular with the general reader and with the map impresarios.
Rapkin's maps were relatively detailed for the time, and usually sported a decorative, lattice, or single bar border. It is these Rapkin creations, based on earlier works by Cary and Arrowsmith, amongst others, that make up the lion's share of the renowned Tallis maps available today. John Tallis published a number of his maps, and city plans, often embellished with Winkles' superbly detailed architectural and /or panoramic vignettes: The City of Bath, with its remarkable and unmistakable buildings, is one of the finest examples. With The Illustrated Atlas of the World, first released in c.1839, Tallis added a splendid set of country and world maps to his portfolio and continued in this vein with the similarly named, The Illustrated World Atlas in around 1850.
The maps themselves were the result of quality communication between craftsmen, remarkable skill and conviction. Today, some areas and city plans are highly sought-after by collectors and, in many cases, fetching quite considerable prices and are, no doubt, adorning the walls and hallways of the more fortunate collectors of finely detailed 19th century antique maps.
The hub of map-making in Britain in the early to mid-nineteenth century, was around the London ward of Cripplegate, and it was here, in this cartographic cauldron of creativity and craftsmanship.Tallis, after moving from his Worcestershire home in the 1830s, founded his own company as a publisher of maps, atlases and other works; flourishing from around 1838 until c.1850. He founded the firm: 'John Tallis and Company' and worked with John Rapkin as his principal map engraver. In 1849 Tallis published his splendid volume, 'The Illustrated Atlas'. It comprised regional maps of the world, and, in some editions, a superb series of engraved city and town plans. Each map and plan is adorned with a decorative border and lovely vignettes of specific relevance to that particular area. A number of Tallis' atlases were printed uncoloured, but some owners chose to 'finish' the maps by employing colourists to add colour. Tallis' maps have always proved very popular with the general reader and with the map impresarios.
Rapkin's maps were relatively detailed for the time, and usually sported a decorative, lattice, or single bar border. It is these Rapkin creations, based on earlier works by Cary and Arrowsmith, amongst others, that make up the lion's share of the renowned Tallis maps available today. John Tallis published a number of his maps, and city plans, often embellished with Winkles' superbly detailed architectural and /or panoramic vignettes: The City of Bath, with its remarkable and unmistakable buildings, is one of the finest examples. With The Illustrated Atlas of the World, first released in c.1839, Tallis added a splendid set of country and world maps to his portfolio and continued in this vein with the similarly named, The Illustrated World Atlas in around 1850.
The maps themselves were the result of quality communication between craftsmen, remarkable skill and conviction. Today, some areas and city plans are highly sought-after by collectors and, in many cases, fetching quite considerable prices and are, no doubt, adorning the walls and hallways of the more fortunate collectors of finely detailed 19th century antique maps.