Sanson Family
1600-1730, French cartographers
It is no coincidence that the golden age of French cartography began during the reign of the Sanson family, as it is now generally accepted that the great period of French supremacy originated with the work of the father of that great dynasty, the eminent Nicolas Sanson (1600-1667).
As a boy growing up in Abbeville, Sanson's fascination with history led him to the study of cartography and the production of beautifully executed maps as a means of illustrating his historical work. On moving to Paris, his work caught the attention of Louis XIII, who in due course employed him as his tutor in geography and appointed him 'Géographe Ordinaire Du Roi'.
Whilst Sanson never forgot his humble roots (his maps were signed 'Par Sr. Sanson d'Abbeville'), neither did he forget his quest to build a powerhouse of cartographic publishing that he hoped would one day rival that of the dominant Dutch houses, who dominated the market until the end of the century.
Sanson employed the best engravers, and his work was of the highest quality, with good detail and highly focussed presentation. In all he produced over three hundred maps. Two of his North American maps in particular were extremely influential, the 'Amerique Septentrionale' of 1650 and his 'La Canada ou Nouvelle France' of 1656, which it is said was the first map to show all the Great Lakes in detail.
The business was put on a sound long term footing with the arrival of his sons Nicolas (1626-1648), Guiallaume (d.1703), Adrien (d.1708) and his grandson, Pierre Moulard-Sanson (d.1730). and of course the collaboration his son-in-law, cartographer Pierre du Val, was also of great import.
On his death, the business passed to his two youngest sons, Guillaume and Adrien, who in 1671 took Alexis Hubert Jaillot into partnership. When Jaillot left to pursue his own interests, thereafter the business was run by Sanson's grandson, Pierre Moulard Sanson. The Sanson plates subsequently descended down to the Robert de Vaugondys, where they were once again combined with Jaillot's plates, acquired after his death in 1712.
The Sansons produced only a handful of Irish maps throughout their long and esteemed history. Their large one sheet folio map of Ireland, first produced in 1665, was reissued in a couple of different states, and is highly sought after by collectors of Irish maps.
