Turgot map of Paris

The map was commissioned by Parisian municipality chief Michel-Étienne Turgot, drawn up by surveyor Louis Bretez, and engraved by Claude Lucas.

[1] Turgot's map has been described as "the first all-comprising graphical inventory of the capital, down to the last orchard and tree, detailing every house and naming even the most modest cul-de-sac".

[3] The prevailing trend in the 18th century was to abandon portraits of cities (inherited from the Renaissance) for a more technical and mathematical geometric plan.

The map was published in 1739, and the prints were bound in volumes offered to King Louis XV, members of the Academy, and the municipality of Paris.

The twenty-one original engraved brass plates are kept by the chalcography at the Louvre, where they are still used for printing, employing similar techniques to those used in the 18th century.