“Officer on the Spot” “A Plan of the Siege of the Havana, Drawn by an Officer on the Spot, 1762.” From "Gentleman’s Magazine"

“an Officer on the Spot.” “A Plan of the Siege of the Havana, Drawn by an Officer on the Spot, 1762.”  From Gentleman’s Magazine. 

London: Gentleman’s Magazine, October 1762. 7 1/4 x 10.  Engraving.  Narrow margins and folds as issued.  Old repair at center fold, loss at right just into image.  Else, good condition.

Beginning in 1731, monthly news magazines made their appearance in Britain.  These magazines contained poetry, prose, and articles on events, fashions, personalities, and other items of the day that might be of interest to the English gentleman.  One of their most popular, and historically important, features was the inclusion of prints and maps to accompany their articles.  This map of the siege of Havana is typical of the output of one of these magazines, appearing in the October 1762 issue of Gentleman’s Magazine.   The map was issued because of interest in the city precipitated by the entrance of Spain as an ally of France in the Seven Years’ War in 1762.  As a result of this, Britain began to attack Spanish possessions in the West Indies, laying siege and then capturing Havana that same year.  This map would have provided the English readers with a picture of this far-away scene of British triumph.