A General Map of India, Including the Empire of Hindostan

1778

Copper engraving on paper

Print size: 13.5 x 15 in (34 x 38 cm)
Sheet size: 14.75 x 18.25 in (37.5 x 46.5 cm)

A Foundational Late-Eighteenth-Century Representation of the Mughal and Post-Mughal Subcontinent

Kitchin’s General Map of India represents one of the most influential late-eighteenth-century printed attempts to define the geographical and political structure of the subcontinent for a British readership. Engraved for Frederic Hervey’s Naval History of Great Britain, the map captures a moment in which India was being reimagined not only as a maritime sphere but also as a contiguous imperial geography extending across the Mughal heartland, the Kingdom of Bengal, and the vast territories collectively described as the “Empire of Hindostan”. The map ranges widely, encompassing present-day Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, parts of Tibet, and Southeast Asia, and symbolises the British ambition to situate India within a broader Asian framework linked by navigation, trade, and territorial ambition.

The cartographic style is distinctive for its balance between decorative flourish and measured precision. A compass rose lies elegantly in the Bay of Bengal, while the richly engraved cartouche draws on motifs of commerce, naval exploration, and imperial connectivity—imagery particularly apt for a map issued in a naval history. The engraving synthesises geographical intelligence from French and British sources, including the work of d’Anville and earlier East India Company surveys, but is also designed for clarity and accessibility, making it ideal for a broad readership.

Kitchin’s importance as a map engraver is reaffirmed with his skill in lettering, shading, and decorative etching. His oeuvre was significant in shaping eighteenth-century geographical literacy in Britain, from Scottish mapping projects to collaborative atlases with Bowen and Jefferys. When viewed alongside these major works, the General Map of India stands out as a critical representation of British conceptualisation of India just before the major conflicts of the Mysore Wars, capturing a landscape on the precipice of profound military and administrative transformation.

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