{"product_id":"old-manuscript-map-of-spain-and-portugal-by-bowen-1810-madrid-lisbon-barcelona-pyrenees-strait-of-gibraltar","title":"Old Manuscript Map of Spain and Portugal by Bowen, 1810: Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Pyrenees, Strait of Gibraltar","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled simply Spain and Portugal, this 1810 manuscript by Frances Bowen presents the Iberian Peninsula with a schoolroom’s eye for order and a draftsman’s instinct for drama. Borders between provinces and counties are crisply articulated, while handwritten labels march across the land in a steady, legible hand. Pictorial relief—little ranks of shaded hills and serried ranges—supplants the still-nascent language of contour lines, giving the Pyrenees, Cantabrians, and Sierra Morena a tactile presence. The coasts are framed by the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea, with the Atlantic sweep implied by the westward tilt of Portugal. It is an elegant synthesis of clarity and character, inviting the viewer to read geography as both study and story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrances Bowen worked under the supervision of her sister Eliza, and together they cultivated a distinctive approach to educational cartography—one that privileged comprehension without sacrificing beauty. Their atlases were designed for the classroom, yet they aspired to more than rote memorization: neat linework, lucid lettering, and selective color washes guide the student’s eye from highlands to harbors. The scenic relief here is a conscious pedagogical choice, preceding the routine use of isohypses and contours, and conveying elevation through texture and rhythm. In Bowen’s hands, mountains are not abstractions but actors: ranges shape borders, channels concentrate trade, and river valleys knit provinces into coherent regions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map organizes Iberia from the ocean ramparts to its inland plateaus with sure, economical signals. The Pyrenees bar the peninsula’s northern threshold; the Cantabrian coast curves along the Bay of Biscay toward Bilbao; and the Ebro carves its long arc eastward toward the Mediterranean. Southward, the Guadalquivir broadens toward Seville, while the Tagus (Tejo) and Douro (Duero) stride west to Lisbon and Porto, announcing natural corridors of settlement and commerce. The Strait of Gibraltar tightens the frame at the peninsula’s hinge, where continents nearly touch. Even the Balearics receive attention: Palma anchors Mallorca, situating Spain’s maritime reach. Through borders and waterlines, Bowen stages an anatomy of Iberia in which terrain, polity, and sea are legible at a glance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpain’s civic constellation is surveyed with pedagogic poise. Madrid holds the center like a cartographic compass point, its placement emphasizing the radial logic of Castile’s meseta. Barcelona, set against the serrated Catalan littoral, faces seaward toward trade and ideas; Valencia curves along its fertile huerta; Zaragoza rides the Ebro’s interior course; and Málaga and Murcia punctuate the sunlit southeastern shore. Seville, upriver yet ocean-minded, reminds the viewer how rivers extend a coastline inland. Bilbao’s anchorage on the Bay of Biscay underlines the north’s maritime turn. By pairing crisp borders with prominent urban names, the map makes plain how topography underwrites civic fortunes—mountains channel, plains invite, ports convene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross the western edge, Portugal appears as both partner and counterpoise, its spine traced by rivers and its history distilled into towns and regions. Lisbon dominates the Tagus estuary, a capital poised between hinterland and ocean; Porto, upriver on the Douro, signals the industrious north; Coimbra lies thoughtful on the Mondego; Braga crowns the Minho; and Faro settles the Algarve’s luminous fringe. Provincial and county lines are drawn with the same didactic confidence, clarifying how the realm is divided and administered. Made in 1810, amid the convulsions of the Peninsular War, the map doubled as timely instruction: for students and readers, Iberia’s mountains, borders, and seaways were not only facts to learn but forces shaping Europe’s fate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCities and towns on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadrid\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBarcelona\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eValencia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeville\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZaragoza\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMálaga\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMurcia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePalma\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBilbao\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLisbon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePorto\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoimbra\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFaro\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBraga\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClearly defined borders between regions and provinces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePictorial relief representation indicating elevation and terrain features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNotable bodies of water, such as the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHandwritten geographic labels for countries, regions, and geographical features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: Spain and Portugal (Frances Bowen, 1810)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eManuscript map created in 1810 by Frances Bowen, reflecting early 19th-century educational cartography\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrances Bowen worked under the supervision of her sister Eliza; they produced educational atlases for school use with strong visual clarity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand-drawn in pen and ink with watercolor; a decorated style designed for clarity and practicality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepicts Spain and Portugal with emphasis on provinces and counties\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRepresents the educational practices of the period and the cartographic techniques of the time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58107552465280,"sku":"UM00285513A","price":54.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58107552498048,"sku":"UM00285514A","price":143.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58107552530816,"sku":"UM00285515A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58107552563584,"sku":"UM00285516A","price":54.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58107552596352,"sku":"UM00285517A","price":143.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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