The ‘PlaFonD’ project examines the emergence of a revolution in mapping literacy in 18th century Europe: How did property maps, previously rare and reserved for judicial purposes or prestige operations, become common tools for describing and appropriating space? This upheaval was not the result of a simple technical innovation. The inclusion of these new types of documents in pre-existing relationships that societies had with the written word reflects a profound change in social, economic and cognitive practices, even before the advent of geometric cadastres commissioned by modern States.
The study focuses on the pivotal period (1715–1820). It compares the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg Monarchy. Despite their distinct fiscal, legal and cultural structures, both areas experienced a simultaneous spread of property maps. The project seeks to reconstruct the rhythms and spatial dynamics of this rapid transformation of visual cultures and the relationship to the land. It also identifies the actors and factors involved in the widespread adoption of property maps: the circulation of administrative models, the role of local elites, the mobilisation of peasants’ vernacular knowledge, the evolution of land registration, the influence of printed cartography, and the professionalization of surveyors, engineers and geometers.
A database, fed by regional data collection campaigns, will inform both in-depth studies of specific documentary corpus and enable the development of an original typology of historical maps. The project promotes open science policies and the enhancement and protection of digital heritage. The database will be made accessible via a cartographic interface. It will incorporate the project’s scientific findings, providing assistance in interpreting the maps.