Ode To Oceanography: An Antique Nautical Chart Of The Bay Of Biscay
This article is the tenth installment 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 up for Analysis is an antique map of the Bay Of Biscay, Between the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Spain, The Faroe Islands, & The Orkney Islands. The map is in fair condition, but there is a lot of moisture-curdling damage towards the center of the map. Though this does slightly degrade the overall quality of the map, everything is still perfectly legible. In this article, we will discuss the map itself & the translation of certain sections of the map, & a surface-level analysis of this antique nautical map. With that being said, let us delve into the Bay Of Biscay.
The Map Itself
Since the map is in English, there is no need for translation as this is the English Version of our newsletter.
A Surface Level Analysis Of The Map
This map was made in the year 1879, by Wilson & John William Norie, who were British cartographers. This map was found by Maps of Antiquity, a lovely New England map shop. This map was most likely made in Britain, as that is where John William Norie’s maps were primarily made. The map covers approximately 1,150 nautical miles (2129.8 kilometers, or 1323.396 miles), though this measurement is rough. The map is extremely accurate, & very few islands are left off of it. As far as we are aware, this map is not a part of a certain collection. This map does not display most topographical features. The map is currently uncolored, & it is most likely made uncolored. It was not made, or used for militaristic purposes as far as we can tell. The map does not seem to be centered on any country, or port. No coves, ports, or beaches are labeled on this map, as it is a small-scale map. This map was most certainly made using lithography, due to the timing, & the way that the map looks. Lithography became popular in the early 1800s, & commercial lithography in 1820, so the timing for the map to be made using this method aligns. Additionally, there are extremely few other methods that it would have been made with, as lithography was the cheapest & fastest way to produce maps at the time. 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.
Strategic Partnerships
Reel Guppy Outdoors
SharkedSkooler
Our Loyal Patrons
Ms. Paloma Rodriguez Ochoa
Comments