Created in 1688 by François Michel Le Tellier de Louvois, the Dépôt de la Guerre was an office which produced and conserved military maps, and as such had an important role in topography and cartography. These maps, which needed to give readers detailed knowledge of terrain in case of attack, were particularly precise.

Under Napoleon III the Dépôt was heavily involved in the work of the Commission de Topographie des Gaules. Antoine-Lucien Blondel (military Colonel and director of the Dépôt) and Charles-Raymond de Coynart (Major) played particularly active roles.