Jim, Thanks for posting the link to the map. The map is really extraordinary. I'm not a graphologist or calligrapher, but I see most of the letter forms in your comparisons as quite different, the slants different, and I don't see a calligraphic style in the map script. Calligraphy produces letter forms that are consistent and clean and much less connected because of the emphasis on forming each letter perfectly. These are only my amateur observations. Does anyone have a better handle on this? Nancy On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 5:48 PM, jarm@nycnuts.net wrote: > Iâm trying to prove the identity of the artist behind the earliest > known > depiction of New York City (c1650). > > > > Johannes LaMontagne is said to have been New Yorkâs first > accredited doctor, > and held important government positions under both William Kieft > and Peter > Stuyvesant. He built the first house in what today is known as > Harlem, as > well as being tasked with building the defensive wall for which > Wall Street > is named. Some sources name him as the possible drafter of some of > the > early maps of New Netherland including the original âManatvs Map,â > of which > only contemporary copies exist. > > > > Regarding the image in question⦠This watercolor, which is in the > National > Library of Austria and titled âDe Stadt Nieuw Amsterdam gelegen op > het > Eylandt Manhattan...,â was only uncovered in the 1990s. I have > done my own > handwriting comparison between known samples of LaMontagneâs > handwriting, > and the writing found on that watercolor, and I believe they match. > There > are also known samples of watercolors painted by LaMontagne that > accompany a > journal of an expedition to Guianaâthese are housed in the National > Library > of Great Britain. I think these could also be used for comparison. > Iâm > looking for some advice, suggestions and opinions on being a > possible match. > > > > Below is a link to an image of the watercolor in question as well > as a link > to a sample of my handwriting comparison: > > > > > [1]http://www.onb.ac.at/sammlungen/karten/kartenzimelien/grossansicht.php?id > =20 > > > [2]http://nycnuts.net/lamontagne_handwriting_samples/ > > > Thanks in advance for your input! > > > > Jim Maxwell > > References > > 1. > http://www.onb.ac.at/sammlungen/karten/kartenzimelien/grossansicht.php?id=20 > 2. http://nycnuts.net/lamontagne_handwriting_samples/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DUTCH-COLONIES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message