A rare map depicting northern Italy during the Second War of Independence, designed and printed in Strasbourg in 1859 by Frédéric-Émile Simon, a figure who stands out in the history of European publishing and chromolithography thanks to his innovations in color printing.
In the lower left corner, the publication details highlight the use of “the best French and German documents” and lend the map scientific objectivity, positioning it as a “neutral” source of information in a Europe shaken by conflict. The date, “Julliet 1859,” is crucial: we are just after the decisive Battle of Solferino, in the midst of the Second Italian War of Independence, and the map is designed for a European audience eager for details on troop movements and alignments.
Next to the title stands out a delightful and picturesque view of Milan’s Duomo. The presence of the Duomo, an iconic symbol of the city of Milan, carries an exquisitely political significance. Milan was the capital of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, under the control of the Austrian Empire. For Napoleon III’s France, an ally of the Kingdom of Sardinia in the war, Milan represented the primary objective, the prize to be “liberated” from Habsburg rule. Including a view of the Duomo on the map of the theater of war was a way to visually indicate to the French public—and to the European public—the ideal and military goal of the conflict. It is a promise and a symbol of victory.
At the bottom center is another key element: an inset showing a map of “Le Quadrilatère,” centered on the lower Lake Garda area and the Mincio River. The Austrian Quadrilateral (Peschiera, Verona, Mantua, Legnago) was the most formidable defensive system in Europe, the backbone of Habsburg power in Italy. Simon’s map is highly detailed: in addition to the terrain, it clearly distinguishes the main roads, the railways (the first in Italy!), the waterways, and the fortified points, with a clarity that is second to none. Including this detail in the “Théâtre de la Guerre” was essential for understanding the military operations of that summer of 1859, which culminated in the bloody Battle of Solferino, fought just west of the Mincio. For readers of the time, this map was the tool for following the advance of the allied armies against the enemy stronghold.
Frédéric-Émile Simon (1805–1886) was one of the most distinguished members of the Simon dynasty of lithographers and publishers in Strasbourg. Although his father, Frédéric Sigismond, had founded the firm, it was Émile who brought it to the height of its success, earning the title “E. Simon fils” and, above all, the distinction of “Award-Winning” at international exhibitions. His skill lay not only in technical precision but in his artistic mastery of chromolithography, the technique of color printing from lithographic stones. Simon was a pioneer in perfecting the rendering of shades and details, overcoming the limitations of monochromatic lithography. His maps are celebrated for the clarity of their lines and the elegance of their use of color, which is never mere decoration but a tool for conveying orographic and geopolitical information in a clear and immediate way. His workshop at 14 Rue du Dôme became a center of excellence that influenced cartography and illustration throughout Europe, making Strasbourg a beacon of 19th-century lithographic art.
