Auguste Henri Dufour (1798-1865) was a cartographer and publisher in Paris. His early works date from the late 1820s, he was noted for his road maps of France, Spain, and Central Europe. This map of South America was first published in the ‘Atlas universel, physique, historique et politique de géographie ancienne et moderne’ in 1856-58. It is engraved by La Lettre and published in a posthumous edition of 1867 by A. Le Vasseur who was the son-in-law and successor to the business of Abel Pilon.

Each country is individually coloured and depicts the continent at a time of great political upheaval. However, each is still colour coded to European possessions lower right. As the atlas title indicates the map records many new physical aspects including ocean currents and prevailing winds. An inset lower left highlights Alexander von Humboldt’s image of the Andean Mountain chain at the equatorial latitudes. Provenance: Kunstverlag Wolfrum, Vienna; private collection of Juan and Peggy Rada. Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004).