Ode To Oceanography: An Antique Nautical Map Of The Lesser Antilles, & Guyana
This article is the fifth instalment 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 time 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 time periods, & will not be in any particular historical order. Today’s Map up for analysis, is an antique map of the Caribbean Isles. It encompasses approximately 2/3rds of the Caribbean Sea. The map is in magnificent condition, aside from some yellow discolouration in the upper right corner, & the upper edges being curled from moisture. In this article we will discuss the map itself & the translation of certain sections of the map, & a surface level analysis on this antique nautical map. With that being said, let us delve into the waters of the Caribbean.
The Map Itself:
Since the map is in English, there is no need to translate it, because this is the English version of our newsletter.
A Surface Level Analysis Of The Map
This map was made in 1807, by Irish Mapmaker, Robert Blachford. This map was found by the Maps of Antiquity company, & the original owner beyond that is unknown. It is unknown which country this was made in, as at the time, a multitude of European countries occupied the Caribbean, making it hard to determine which which is the one that it originated from. This area encompasses not only the lesser Antilles, but it also encompasses Guyana & North Venezuela. This map has no sea creature migration zones outlined on it. The map is extremely accurate, & shows the majority of the Caribbean islands, even the minor outlying islands. This map has no official name or cartographic collection that it is a part of. This map has very few topographical features, aside from The Orinoco River, & a few other Rivers. This map is uncoloured, for reasons unknown. It was not made for, or most likely used for Militaristic purposes. The map is centered on the Caribbean Sea, but not any specific country in it. This map has no rapids, underwater canyons, or things of such a nature. Since Lithography only became commercially popular in the 1820’s, & the map was made in 1807, lithography had not become commercially popular yet. Lithography was invented in 1798, so there is still a chance that it was made using that technique. The first technique it could have been made with was lithographic printing. In this 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. Afterwards, an exact copy of whatever was supposed to be printed is revealed. The second method possible, is the engraving Method. This method was not to traditional at the time, though it could be done, it was not as common. In this technique, there are 5 jobs, the mapmaker, the engraver, the printer, the papermaker, & the colourist. The first step in this process is that the mapmaker will go out & make a hand-drawn map of the area where the map will encompass. Effectively, the mapmaker is the informant who makes the first copy. After this, the engraver will create a design of the map in reverse on a metal, usually copper, surface. Usually there would only be 1-2 plates used, however it differs depending on the size of the map. After the copper plate is made, the printer will heat the copper panel, & then proceed to lather it with ink. They will then wipe the copper panel down to the point where ink is only on the grooves of the panel. Then after this, the printer will press damp paper onto the ink, & hang it up to dry. To conclude, the colourist will touch up the map & decorate it by adding in details, such as shorelines & shoals. The first technique is more likely, as it could be done more easily & in higher quality.
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.
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