George Washington Bacon

Published 1904, London

Size: 20.75" X 28.75"

Condition: Very Good,  Some older verso repairs and reinforcements along fold lines.

Description:

A very rare bird’s eye view of East-Asia depicting the area of conflict during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.  This very important conflict between Tsarist Russia and Imperial Japan had far reaching implications in that it pitted two formidable powers with territorial and political ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula against each other that ultimately altered the balance of power in East Asia and Eastern Europe.  Japan emerged as the uncontested hegemonic power in the region, whereas the humiliating defeat by Russia led to the 1905 Russian Revolution and its decline in influence in Eastern Europe.
The area of conflict was located principally along the Liadong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria as well as the seas that separate Japan from the East-Asian mainland.  At issue was Russia’s pursuit of a warm-water port located at Port Arthur in the Liadong Province and Japan’s fear that this Russian policy would hamper its expansionist strategy in Korea and Manchuria.  Perceiving that a diplomatic solution would prove ineffectual, Japan embarked on a military response with their surprise attack on the Russian Eastern Fleet stationed at Port Arthur on February 9th 1904.
In order to help the British public understand this conflict, G.W. Bacon & Co. issued a series informative material of which this bird’s eye view is no. 5 in the series.  As such, this bird’s eye view was accompanied with a small booklet providing textual information on the conflict, albeit, a biased one towards Japan.
G.W. Bacon and Co.’s bird’s eye view is rather rare in that only one example is found in the OCLC.