French department - Saone and Loire

Dept. de Saone et Loire' Steel engraving with original outline hand-colouring., 1856, from Levasseur's Atlas National Illustre. The French department of Saone et Loire is at the heart of the legendary Beaujolais wine producing region. 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. A couple of small spots in the margins.