Ode To Oceanography: A Nautical Chart of The Western Pacific Ocean
This is the fifteenth article in the Ode to Oceanography Series. This series will publish on the 15th of every month, until we run out of antique nautical maps to analyze, though that will not be for many decades. Once that happens, we will keep the series running, but we will change the article format. In these articles, will take an antique nautical map & analyze it in its entirety. These maps will not strictly be on open oceanic waters, they may be on rivers or occasionally, bays. We will also discuss the methods that may have been used to make the map, considering the period, & the country of origin. These maps will come from a variety of sources, though they will mainly come from Maps Of Antiquity, a wonderful New England map shop. These maps will come from varying periods, & will not be in any particular historical order. Today’s map is an antique map of the Western Pacific Ocean. Our map shows the south of Japan, the eastern tip of China, & the northern tip of Papua New Guinea. The map covers an area of approximately 2,300 nautical miles. The map has some slight moisture damage in the upper right portion of the map, & creases in the center & lower area of the map. This, however, doesn’t distort any of the information on the map, & overall the chart is still in a premium condition. The chart is approximately 49 inches high, & 40 inches wide. In this article, we will discuss the map itself, the translation of certain sections of the map, & analyze this antique nautical map. With that being said let us delve into the Western Pacific Ocean.
The Map Itself
As the chart is in English, there is no need for translation. The chart is uncolored, & has the names of various cities, towns, & settlements on it.
An Analysis Of The Map
This map was created in 1864, by the famous Scottish cartographer & hydrographer pair James Imray & James Frederick Imray. James Imray was the father of James Frederick Imray. The map was created & published in London. This map was made available for purchase by Maps of Antiquity. It is unclear whether or not the map is a part of any particular collection. The map has many different islands across it, & a few different sea routes instructing sailors how to get between said islands. There are no major topographical features outlined other than the ocean, & the islands. The island is very accurate, & there are very few islands missing from the chart. The chart is not centered around anything in particular. It was not made for militaristic purposes, & was only intended for informal use. This map was most certainly made via the lithographic process, due to its maker, & the time that it was manufactured. The lithographic method was most popular for map making between the early 1820s, & the 1910s. In the lithographic method, the artist will draw directly onto a printing surface, such as zinc, or copper, until they are satisfied with the drawing. After this, the surface will be covered with a chemical etch, which will bond it to the surface. With this process, the blank areas will attract moisture to the plate & repel the lithographic ink, while the areas that are drawn on will hold the ink. Water is then wiped onto the unpainted areas to help prevent the ink from deviating. After the map wanted is inked, the paper is laid over it & covered with a tympan, & the tympan is pressed down. Finally, these materials pass through the scraper bar of the litho press. Afterward, an exact copy of whatever was supposed to be printed is revealed.
Directories / Credits
All credit for this map analyzed today goes to Maps Of Antiquity, a wonderful New England map shop. To purchase this map, any other maps, or any other cartographic objects, please visit mapsofantiquity.com. To be clear, this is not an advertisement for Maps Of Antiquity, as we do not have a partnership with them. with them.
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