French department - Maine et Loire

Dept. de Maine et Loire Steel engraving with original outline hand-colouring., 1856, from Levasseur's Atlas National Illustre. This region is known for its agriculture, distilled spirits, wines, and fine hunting. The capital is Angers. 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.