In 1953 the John Carter Brown Library acquired one of the great cartographic discoveries of the century. An untitled map of New France that appeared to be unfinished, it contained the following inscription, faict par le Sr de Champlain 1616. The first study of the map was written by Lawrence Wroth in 1954. In the article he demonstrated that it was pulled from the same copperplate as that used later by Pierre Duval in 1653. The plate had lain unused until acquired by Duval in the early 1650s when he printed some examples to examine the map and assess any alterations needed. He added numerous placenames, a title cartouche and his own imprint, dated 1653.

“For the 1653 state by Duval the majority of cartographic changes were in the addition of much more nomenclature. A new coastline labelled NOUVEAU DANEMARQ appears to the north-west, and southern Greenland is altered. Appended to the Flemish reference is appellé Nau Amsterdam, and the English are represented in both New England and Virginia. A new title cartouche is also added with the scale moved to its right. There was a total of six states. All are rare, the fourth being identified by the author [and offered here] is previously unrecorded” (Burden). Burden 309; Kershaw (1993) pp. 73-8; Pastoureau (1984) pp. 135, 139 Duval IIA no. 1, & 469; Verner & Stuart-Stubbs (1979) pp. 31-3.