Jean Janvier – L’Amérique Septentrionale – Sea of the West Map

L’Amérique Septentrionale divisée en ses principaux États. Par le Sr. Janvier, Géographe. À Paris, Chez Lattré Graveur, rue St. Jacques à la Ville de Bordeaux, 1762. Avec Privilège du Roy.

Also Known As:
Often referred to as the “Sea of the West” map (Mer de l’Ouest or Baye de l’Ouest), due to its prominent depiction of a mythical inland sea in the Pacific Northwest.

Description:
This engraved map of North America by Jean Denis Janvier (fl. 1746–1776), published in Paris by Jean Lattré in 1762, captures the continent at the close of the Seven Years’ War, just before the 1763 Treaty of Paris. It presents colonial divisions with French Louisiana filling the interior, British colonies along the eastern seaboard, Spanish influence in Florida, Mexico, and parts of the Southwest, and delineated Caribbean territories.

Uniquely, this first state of the map front-and-center features the legendary Sea of the West, a massive inland sea thought to exist in the Pacific Northwest. Janvier’s portrayal draws on speculative geography, influenced by theories from Delisle and Buache, including the apocryphal voyages of Admiral de Fonte and Juan de Fuca. The sea is not connected to known river systems—indicating its mythic status.

Cartouche:
A richly decorated cartouche in the lower left quadrant, featuring palm motifs, grape clusters, and tropical flora, emphasizes the exotic and fertile New World (visible in the image above).

Geographic Features:

• Outlines of Greenland, Hudson Bay, and the Arctic are sketched broadly, showing limited northern exploration.

• The Great Lakes and interior river networks (e.g., Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg) are based on French explorations, but remain loosely drawn.  California is rendered attached to the mainland.

• Alaska and the Aleutian region appear conjectural, as a continuous landmass (consistent with mid-18th century cartographic speculation).

Cultural Context:
This map is one of the most elaborate French cartographic expressions of the Sea of the West myth. The inland sea reflects colonial-era hopes tied to a Northwest Passage. Later explorers like Captain Cook would ultimately debunk the myth—and by the late 1700s, the idea faded from credible cartography.

Regional Coverage and Labels by Modern Country (as depicted):

• United States (colonial labels): Louisiane, Virginie, Caroline, Georgie, Pensilvanie, Nouvelle‑Angleterre, Floride

• Canada: Canada, Acadie, Terre‑Neuve, Pays‑Labrador, Baie d’Hudson

• Mexico / Central America: Mexique, Nouveau‑Mexique

• Caribbean: Cuba, Jamaïque, Saint‑Domingue, Porto‑Rico, Antilles

• Greenland (Denmark): Groenland

Below with margins