Ode to Oceanography: An Antique Nautical Chart Of Antarctica

Today’s map in the Ode to Oceanography series is a beautiful, 103-year-old map of Antarctica, then referred to as the “South Polar Regions,” by John Bartholomew, an esteemed British cartographer known for his vast collection of maps and for being the man who named Antarctica. This chart covers the entirety of all then-discovered regions of the Antarctic Continent, along with the surrounding oceans.

The map features a large amount of bathymetric information, with the colour of the surrounding water indicating its depth. This would have been very useful for any sailor or scientist navigating near the continent at the time. It is in very crisp, clear condition, with proportions of 21.5 inches wide & 16.5 inches long.

In today’s article, we will discuss the map itself, & analyze this antique nautical map. With that being said, let us delve into the frigid & inhospitable environment of Antarctica!

The Map Itself

A gorgeous antique nautical chart of Antarctica. Credit to John George Bartholomew.

This chart depicts the entirety of the Antarctic continent in its average ice cover. It is coloured, with blue & white tones. As mentioned in the introduction, it includes a tremendous amount of bathymetric information. Around the continent, the colour of the water indicates its depth, with the lightest colour indicating an oceanic depth of 1 to 100 fathoms, & the darkest colour indicating an oceanic depth of 3,000 fathoms or more. Fathoms are an outdated nautical measurement that were commonly used by sailors to measure the depth of water, & are equivalent to about 6 feet. They are meant to represent the arm-span from finger-tip to finger-tip of an average adult standing with their arms stretched out, similar to the wingspan of a bird.

In addition to this, the chart includes explanatory notes at the bottom in a small rectangle. This includes the scale of the map, which is 1:14,000,000, the number of soundings (depth takings), in which the sea floor could not able to be determined, which is 600. This means that there were 600 times in which depth was attempting to be taken; however no sea floor bottom was reached, so depth was unable to be determined.

Also, the chart includes a boundary where pack ice is theorized not to be found, which would have been extraordinarily useful to any sailor of the era sailing past, as running into pack ice could seriously damage your vessel in an area where the next supply ship may be 48 hours away. There is also information about where pack ice was previously reported, labelled by year.

Paths of previous British expeditions which occurred on the continent, such as the Robert Falcon Scott Terra Nova Expedition from 1910 to 1913.

An Analysis Of The Chart

This chart was designed by British Cartographer John George Bartholomew, a famed cartographer known for his work with the crown & naming of Antarctica. It was released in 1922 through the Second Generation of the Times Atlas of the World. It includes several mountains, & coastal areas of Antarctica, as well as depicting several different expedition paths.

It depicts at least 4 different expeditions, as well as the site of the wreck of the Endurance, which was a ship that crashed into pack ice in 1915, then promptly sank, during the Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton. The expedition was led with the goal of crossing Antarctica on foot, which sadly failed; however, the expedition is one of the most remarkable examples of human endurance, & the indomitable human spirit we possess.

A photograph of the Endurance in the Weddell Sea in Northern Antarctica attempting to break through pack ice. Ultimately, it sank on November 15th, 1915; however, all the crew managed to sail to an uninhabited island north of the continent, then from there to the South Georgia Islands, & made it home without any loss of human life. Credit to photographer Frank Hurley.

The chart also features the Antarctic Circle in a dashed line.

Considering the period that the chart was made in, & the fact that it was mass-produced, we believe that this chart was manufactured through lithography.

Lithography is a method of printing that arose in the 1820s, & remained the most popular method of printing in both color & grayscale until the early 1960s, when more efficient methods became available. It is still widely used for certain kinds of printing, such as fine art printing today; however, digital printing is far more common.

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 image 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. It is extremely useful for making high-resolution prints in high quantities.

Directories / Credits

All credit for this map analyzed today goes to Rare Maps, a California rare & antique maps store. To purchase this chart, antique atlases, or other cartographic objects, please visit www.raremaps.com. To be clear, this is not an advertisement for Rare Maps, as we do not have a partnership with them.

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