French department - La Gironde

Dept. de la Gironde Steel engraving with original outline hand-colouring., 1856, from Levasseur's Atlas National Illustre. This coastal department is the seat of the Bordeaux wine region and produces many of the world's finest reds. Shows numerous vineyards and chateaux. The whole is surrounded by elaborate decorative engravings designed to illustrate both the natural beauty and trade richness of the land. There is a short textual history of the regions depicted on both the left and right sides of the map. Levasseur was an important French engineer, cartographer, and engraver of the mid 19th century.