A Passion for History: The Legacy of James Bain — Town and Country
A New and Exact Map of the Dominions of the King of Great Britain on ye Continent of North America, Containing Newfoundland, New Scotland, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pensilvania, Maryland, Virginia and Carolina.
Herman Moll, 1654-1732
London: Printed and sold by Tho. Bowles, John Bowles & Son and J. King, 1715
Gift of the Bain family, 2008
This extraordinary map shows the British colonies at the conclusion of the War of the Spanish succession and documents the boundary dispute between Britain and France in North America. Known as The Beaver Map, after an illustration of beavers cutting down trees and building a dam, this map has come to symbolize the hard work and perseverance of the new settlers.
Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Britain and France colonized North America. During these years of disputes and wars, colonial settlements emerged. Towns were planned, laid out and built.
Under James Bain's direction, the library acquired a wide array of visual and written material. These items recount the story of colonization, settlement and everyday life throughout North America and the Caribbean.
These prints, paintings, maps, books and manuscripts document British North America's progression from a battlefield to a land of opportunity and desire. Within this collection, first hand accounts by immigrants and travelers offer extensive descriptions of the land, climate and living conditions. These narratives of struggle in a harsh environment contrast with the maps, sketches and paintings, which offer a charming vignette of life in both town and country.
A View of Savannah as it Stood the 29th of March 1734
Peter Gordon, 1697-1740
[London], 1734
Gift of the Bain family, 2008
Founded in 1733 and designed by General James Oglethorpe, Savannah, Georgia, was the last colonial capital established by the British in America. This rare and influential plan has been consulted and adapted by urban planners throughout North America.
Portrait of Anna Brownell Jameson
Unknown
Photograph of an engraving, coloured
J. Ross Robertson Collection
Anna Jameson
Anna Brownell (Murphy) Jameson (1794-1860) was born in Dublin, Ireland. She was a well known writer of fiction in England.
In 1833, her husband Robert Jameson was appointed Attorney General for Upper Canada. Anna reluctantly followed him to Canada, arriving in 1836.
In June of 1837, to the surprise of many in Toronto, she undertook a tour through the southwestern part of the province and visited Niagara, Hamilton, Port Talbot, London and Detroit. She then travelled by steamer to Michilimacinac (Mackinac) and by open boat to Sault Ste. Marie. She returned to Toronto by way of Lake Huron and Manitoulin Island in mid-August.
The sketch book on display is her record of that journey. Anna Jameson did not remain in Canada: she separated from her husband and returned to England, where she continued to have a successful career as a writer.