A geological tale of two cities: Cuvier and Brongniart's map of Paris (1811) and Conybeare and De la Beche's map of Bath (1823)

Abstract

This comparison of two early geological maps, Cuvier and Brongniart's 1811 map of Paris and Conybeare and De la Beche's 1823 map of Bath, explores their publication history, the connections between their French and English authors, and the design and reproduction of the maps. The Paris map was much published and is well known for Brongniart's use of associated fossils to identify the geological formations shown on it, while the Bath map survives in only a few copies and is little known. Nevertheless, the Bath map is interesting as one of the first geological maps to combine area patterns printed in colour with hand-applied area colours to distinguish and relate the geological formations on the map. The Paris map is rightly famous for its compilation and geological content, but the Bath map deserves recognition for its innovative symbolization and use of intaglio colour printing.