Map of Cape Mesurado, Liberia (c.1745)

Hand coloured copperplate engraving.

The historical map is fascinating because it depicts the exact birthplace of modern Liberia nearly a century before it officially existed.

The Pre-Liberian Landscape of Monrovia

The map depicts Cape Mesurado (spelled with the historical long "s" as Mefurado) and the mouth of the Mesurado and Saint Paul Rivers. This precise headland is where the American Colonization Society (ACS) would land in 1822 to establish a colony for emancipated American slaves—a settlement that grew into Monrovia, the capital city of Liberia.

A Prophetic Strategic Point

On the right side of the map there is a marked outline labeled "A. fit place for building a Fort." This note proved to be highly prophetic. When the Americo-Liberian settlers arrived decades later, that exact high-ground promontory became the strategic site of Fort Norris (later known as Fort Hill), which was crucial for defending the fledgling colony.

A Mashup of Two Famous Explorers

The print combines the geographical observations of two distinct eras of European exploration along the West African "Grain Coast":

Marchais: The top plan is based on drawings by the Chevalier des Marchais, a French cartographer and navigator who conducted detailed surveys of the West African coast in the 1720s.

Barbot: The lower coastal panorama ("Prospect of the same") is adapted from Jean Barbot, a French Huguenot commercial agent who sailed the coast in the late 17th century and wrote influential journals about African geography and commerce.

Origin of the Print

This copperplate engraving was published in London in 1745 for Thomas Astley’s multi-volume work, A New General Collection of Voyages and Travels. It served as a visual guide for European merchants, mariners, and privateers navigating the transatlantic trade networks of the 18th century.

Plate size: 210mm x 160mm

R1,500