Henry Vignaud Research Notes on Cartography
Collection
Call Number: GEN MSS 610
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of Henry Vignaud's research notes for his unfinished book on the history of cartography. Notes are in French and in the hand of Vignaud. Some notes are accompanied by annotated printed material, such as book and article excerpts.
Dates
- circa 1893-1922
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Henry Vignaud Research Notes on Cartography is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of H. P. Kraus Rare Books, Ltd., 2008.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged according to a numerical system devised by the creator or the previous custodian.
Extent
4 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language of Materials
French
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
The collection consists of Henry Vignaud's research notes for his unfinished book on the history of cartography. Notes are in French and in the hand of Vignaud. Some notes are accompanied by annotated printed material, such as book and article excerpts.
Henry Vignaud (1830-1922)
Henry Vignaud was a journalist, diplomat, and historian. He was born and educated in New Orleans. His career as a journalist commenced with articles for the newspapers of New Orleans. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he became a captain in the 6th Louisiana Regiment but was imprisoned in 1862, when New Orleans was captured by the Union Army. He escaped, went to Paris, and never returned to the United States.
In Paris, Vignaud entered the service of the Confederate mission under John Slidell. In 1869, he was appointed to a secretaryship in the Roumanian legation at Paris. On December 14, 1875, he was appointed second secretary of the United States legation in Paris, and on April 11, 1885, was promoted to be first secretary. For thirty-four years, he was an indensable member of the Paris mission, frequently acting as chargé d'affaires, and serving always with distinction.
Vignaud's distinction was achieved after the age of seventy. His special interest in Columbus grew out of his close association with Henry Harrisse and with the Peruvian scholar Manuel Gonzalez de la Rosa, and the publications of the Columbian anniversary in 1892. He published several works on Columbus and European exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries, including: La Lettre et la Carte de Toscanelli (1901), Toscanelli and Columbus (1902), Études critiques sur la vie de Colomb avant ses découvertes (1905), Histoire critique de la grande entreprise de Christophe Colomb (2 vols., 1911), Améric Vespuce, 1451-1512 (1917), and Christophe Colomb et la Légende (1921).
Vignaud also displayed a broad interest in the whole range of studies of aboriginal America and of the earliest European contacts with the new world. His work was recognized by the award of numerous honors and prizes, and by election as a foreign corresponding member of the Institut de France.
Vignaud's library of many thousand books, pamphlets, and maps now resides at the University of Michigan.
Vignaud's work also includes an unfinished history of cartography in approximately 650,000 words.
Biographical note has been excerpted from Dictionary of American Biography (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936), s.v. "Vignaud, Henry"
In Paris, Vignaud entered the service of the Confederate mission under John Slidell. In 1869, he was appointed to a secretaryship in the Roumanian legation at Paris. On December 14, 1875, he was appointed second secretary of the United States legation in Paris, and on April 11, 1885, was promoted to be first secretary. For thirty-four years, he was an indensable member of the Paris mission, frequently acting as chargé d'affaires, and serving always with distinction.
Vignaud's distinction was achieved after the age of seventy. His special interest in Columbus grew out of his close association with Henry Harrisse and with the Peruvian scholar Manuel Gonzalez de la Rosa, and the publications of the Columbian anniversary in 1892. He published several works on Columbus and European exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries, including: La Lettre et la Carte de Toscanelli (1901), Toscanelli and Columbus (1902), Études critiques sur la vie de Colomb avant ses découvertes (1905), Histoire critique de la grande entreprise de Christophe Colomb (2 vols., 1911), Améric Vespuce, 1451-1512 (1917), and Christophe Colomb et la Légende (1921).
Vignaud also displayed a broad interest in the whole range of studies of aboriginal America and of the earliest European contacts with the new world. His work was recognized by the award of numerous honors and prizes, and by election as a foreign corresponding member of the Institut de France.
Vignaud's library of many thousand books, pamphlets, and maps now resides at the University of Michigan.
Vignaud's work also includes an unfinished history of cartography in approximately 650,000 words.
Biographical note has been excerpted from Dictionary of American Biography (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936), s.v. "Vignaud, Henry"
Processing Information
The collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and organization. File titles in the list below were transcribed directly from the labels of the boxes in which the material was originally housed. The Roman numerals appearing in parenthesis in the list below are those assigned by either the creator or previous custodian.
- Title
- Guide to the Henry Vignaud Research Notes on Cartography
- Author
- by Tina Evans and Jennifer Meehan
- Date
- 2008
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
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