[Geographical map]. [Manuscript]. Map of Peï-Ho. [Paris, ca. - Lot 61

[Geographical map]. [Manuscript]. Map of Peï-Ho. [Paris, ca. 1888?] A handwritten map on paper, approx. 200 x 180 cm, modern white wooden canvas and throat and scroll, qq. edge restorations (qq. crease marks and minor snags not serious). Unique and important map painted in color on black paper, most probably commissioned by the French orientalist Henri Cordier (1849-1925), to illustrate one of the Far Eastern history courses he taught at the Ecole des Langues Orientales in Paris. Entitled "Map of Peï=Ho", it bears witness to the final episode in the war between the French and British allies and the Chinese Empire, between late August and mid-October 1860. The ensuing treaty put an end to the so-called "Opium War". The geographical area depicted follows the course of the river, from Peking to its mouth in the Yellow Sea, east of Tientsin (today, the city of Tianjin or Tientsin extends to the sea). The main interest of the map is to show the location of French military camps and bivouacs along the river, and to indicate the date on which each was established, thus illustrating the progression of troops between August 12 and September 17. Approaching Peking, there is mention of an "allied camp", then around the city, several other French and English camps, also with their dates of activity. The map also shows numerous localities on both banks of the river. The scale is indicated on the document, 20 kilometers represented by 30 centimeters, i.e. approx. 1:67,000. The river and its tributaries are painted in blue, roads in yellow, vegetation in green; the names of camps and bivouacs are in orange, those of other places in white. The sheet is divided into two panels. The first, bottom left, shows a 1:5000 scale plan of the city of Tientsin, with the location of the Anglo-French flotilla occupying it, whose ships are shown in red and white. The second card, top right, shows a plan of the city of Peking, without scale, with the boundaries of the Chinese city - including plans of two temples - the Tartar city, and in the center, the imperial city. The plan of the Gan-ting gate is also shown. The map has undergone a recent and meticulous stabilization and mounting on throat and scroll. An old label bearing the words "M. Henri Cordier - 1888" has been preserved.