India (with Singapore)

1856

Copper engraving with original hand-coloured outline

Print size: 22.75 x 16.5 in (58 x 42 cm)
Sheet size: 23.5 x 17.75 in (60 x 45 cm)
Folded size: 12.01 x 17.32 in (30.5 x 44 cm)

Sidney Hall’s India (Plate 35)—British Expansion Mapped and Tabulated, 1856

This is a fine example of Adam and Charles Black's 1856 map of India. It covers the Indian subcontinent from the Indian Caucasus Mountains to the Indian Ocean and includes Ceylon, or Sri Lanka, and part of Kabul in Afghanistan. The map is coded with outline colour according to territories under British possession, territories under British influence by tribute protection and independent states. Various towns, cities, rivers, mountains, islands and several other topographical details are noted with relief shown by hachure.

Hall’s map distinguishes British territories, protected and allied states, and remaining independent regions through original outline colour. By this stage, Malwa, Nepal, and Bhutan stand out as the principal independent polities, underscoring the near-completion of British territorial dominance across the subcontinent. The engraving is notable for its exceptional density and clarity, with carefully articulated river systems, transport routes, and a shaded Himalayan frontier reflecting contemporary administrative and strategic priorities.

Of particular importance is the Chronological Table of the Acquisitions of the British in India, printed at right, which records treaties, dates, districts, and former sovereign powers from the seventeenth century through the mid-nineteenth century, transforming the map into both a geographic and documentary instrument of empire. A subsidiary inset map of Singapore further situates India within the broader Bay of Bengal and Straits of Malacca maritime sphere, underscoring the commercial and strategic interdependence of British India and Southeast Asia during the period.

Well-preserved examples of this later Hall state with intact colour and complete tabular content are increasingly scarce and highly valued for their documentary precision and historical scope.

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot is offered at NO RESERVE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each lot.