{"product_id":"old-map-of-the-moon-by-moreux-1949-relief-maria-impact-craters-inverted-n-s","title":"Old Map of the Moon by Moreux, 1949: Relief, Maria \u0026 Impact Craters, Inverted N-S","description":"\u003cp\u003eThéophile Moreux’s 1949 Carte de la Lune is a masterclass in mid-century lunar cartography: a chromolithographic portrait of the Moon’s Earth-facing hemisphere that fuses rigorous observation with luminous design. Its principal subjects are the maria and highlands, the summits and basins, and the great impact scars that narrate the Moon’s history. Moreux distills a complex three-dimensional world into an intelligible, elegant infographic, inviting the viewer to read relief as readily as text. The map is especially intriguing for how it frames pre-space-age knowledge—when only 59% of the lunar surface had been systematically charted—capturing both the certainty of well-known features and the tantalizing ambiguity at the edges of observation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe legend of this map is written in color and contour. Yellow tints signal elevation across ramparts, ranges, and crater rims, while cool blues mark depressions—subtle gradations that turn light and shade into measurable structure. Fine topographic lines trace major summits and impact craters, sharpening the distinction between uplifted highlands and basaltic plains. Against this backdrop, the Sea of Tranquility (Mer de la Tranquillité) and the Ocean of Storms (Ocean des Tempêtes) emerge as vast sheets of solidified lava, their calm palettes belying volcanic origins. The result is a visual grammar that makes the Moon’s morphology instantly legible: craters become timelines; seas, geological episodes; and contours, the very sentences of lunar relief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOrientation becomes an intellectual exercise in Moreux’s hands. North and south are deliberately inverted, while east and west remain true—an observational compromise that mirrors the vantage and conventions of telescopic study. This unusual perspective invites the viewer to inhabit the astronomer’s eyepiece, where foreshortening and libration complicate simple mapping. At the southern pole, Moreux highlights the Doerfel Range, poised within the rim of a vast impact crater and bathed in enduring light—an arresting reminder that polar topography modulates illumination in extreme ways. Such choices reveal a cartographer attentive not only to where features are, but to how they appear, shifting with geometry, sunlight, and the limits of mid-century optics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNomenclature becomes narrative across the surface. Familiar mares—Mer de la Sérénité, Mer des Pluies, Mer des Crises, Mer des Vapeurs, Mer des Humeurs, and the evocative Golfo de la Mort—dot the disc like chapters in a chronicle of fire and impact. Labeled craters punctuate these plains and highlands, offering anchor points for both amateur stargazers and professional selenographers. By coupling poetic place-names with precise symbology, the map bridges myth and metric, making an austere celestial body invitingly human. That blend reflects Moreux’s broader preoccupations: education, popular science, and a curiosity about extraterrestrial life—threads that run through his lunar and Martian studies and animate this chart with intellectual reach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a scientific tool and cultural artifact, Moreux’s Moon compresses an era’s knowledge with rare clarity. Created on the cusp of space exploration, it captures the best of Earth-based astronomy just before spacecraft redefined the possible. Its disciplined use of color-coding and contour foreshadows later photogrammetric relief maps, while its lucid labeling sustains lasting pedagogical value. Moreux’s legacy—honored by an asteroid and a Martian crater bearing his name—resonates in this work: a map that invites contemplation as much as consultation. It is a portrait of the Moon and of an astronomer’s mind at once—precise, speculative, and irresistibly illuminating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlaces on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMer des Humeurs (Sea of Moods)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMer de la Sérénité (Sea of Serenity)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMer des Pluies (Sea of Rains)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMer des Vapeurs (Sea of Vapors)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMer des Crises (Sea of Crises)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMer de la Tranquillité (Sea of Tranquility)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOcean des Tempêtes (Ocean of Storms)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGolfo de la Mort (Gulf of Death)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeveral Impact Craters: Not named here individually but depicted prominently on the map.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDoerfel Range\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCraters: Various labeled craters, highlighted for significance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopographic Lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRegions: Various seas and landforms are detailed with names indicating their topographical significance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYear Created: 1949\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker: Théophile Moreaux, an esteemed author and astronomer (1867-1954).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap Description: A fascinating chromolithograph depicting a detailed lunar landscape, showcasing both well-known and lesser-known features of the moon.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVisibility: Represents the visible hemisphere from Earth; only 59% of the moon was systematically charted before space exploration.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eColor Coding: Uses a color-coded system where yellow indicates elevation and blue denotes depressions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopographic Lines: Utilized to outline major summits and impact craters, enhancing clarity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInversion of Lunar Poles: North and south poles are swapped, while east and west remain accurate; this requires observation from an unusual perspective.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThemes: Explores concepts of extraterrestrial life and the mysteries of space; reflects Moreaux’s fascination with lunar and Martian studies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCultural Impact: The map serves as both a scientific tool and an educational piece, accentuating Moreaux's legacy in astronomy and popular science.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical Significance: Reflects early astronomical studies and cultural perceptions of space during Moreaux's lifetime.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecognition: An asteroid and a Martian crater were named in honor of Moreaux posthumously.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":57718114451840,"sku":"UM00270000A","price":362.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57718114484608,"sku":"UM00270001A","price":974.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":57718114517376,"sku":"UM00270002A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":57718114550144,"sku":"UM00270003A","price":362.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57718114582912,"sku":"UM00270004A","price":974.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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