Ode to Oceanography: An Antique Nautical Chart of Patagonia
Today’s map is an antique 173-year-old nautical chart of Patagonia.
This chart is rather large, at 26.5 inches long by 38.3 inches wide. It is in pristine condition, with minimal soiling, except for some discolouration on the far left. It focuses on the southern reaches of Argentina, as well as Chile. It also features the Falkland, & South Shetland Islands.
In today’s article, we are going to examine this fascinating antique nautical map, discuss it, & analyze it. With that being said, let’s delve into the frigid, unforgiving waters of the South Atlantic!
The Chart
This chart features the southern tip of Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego, as well as the South Shetland Islands. It is filled with useful navigation information, critical to any mariner of the era looking to navigate Patagonia. It is elegantly decorated with a minimalist cartouche consisting of curved & wavy lines. 3 compasses roses are available throughout, which would have assisted sailors in not losing their way in the formidable Strait of Magellan. It is in French, as it was originally published in Paris.
Off the coast of Western Patagonia, the phrase “Les chiffres de Sondes experiment des Métres, Pour convertir les Métres en brasses il fault divisier par 1.62”, which roughly translates to “The figures from the experimental depth soundings are in meters. To convert meters to fathoms, divide by 1.62”. This would have been used by any sailor looking to gauge the depth of the sea surrounding them in order to ensure they would not run aground, & that they had enough swivel to support their anchor.
Information for this chart was gathered from 2 primary expeditions, respectively from 1826 to 1830, & from 1831 to 1836.
During the first of these expeditions, the HMS Beagle & the HMS Adventure were dispatched by the Royal Navy to explore Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego, & the Strait of Magellan, with the goal of developing a more advanced understanding of the region for navigation & shipping. Captain Pringle Stokes, the commander of the HMS Beagle, unfortunately passed away by suicide during the voyage. He was quickly replaced by the 23-year-old Lieutenant Robert FitzRoy. After a hostage situation in which a group of Indigenous peoples from Tierra Del Fuego took hold of one of the Beagle’s tenders (support boats), resulting in Captain FitzRoy taking multiple Indigenous individuals hostage, the expedition ended relatively peacefully, having achieved its goals.
Upon its return, the HMS Beagle was renovated to have the best scientific & navigational equipment available. A second expedition was then dispatched to the region in 1831, with Charles Darwin in tow. Darwin would go on to make some of the most consequential biological, geological, & geographical observations during this fateful journey, publishing Journal & Remarks, later renamed The Voyage of the Beagle (1839) as a result of the expedition.
An Analysis of the Chart
The chart was originally published in 1853 by Aimé Robiquet. Aimé Robiquet was a French cartographer, hydrographer, & publisher during the 19th century. Unfortunately, very little is known about his life, including his date of birth & death. His offices were located at Rue Pavée Saint Andre No. 2, in Paris, France.
This chart was originally titled “Carte des Cotes de la Patagonie et des Mers du Cap Horn Dressee d'apres de Travaux du Cap.e R. Fitz Roy de la Marine Britannique”, which roughly translates to “Map of the Patagonian Coast and the Seas off Cape Horn, Based on the Surveys of Captain R. Fitz Roy of the British Navy”.
Upon reviewing the publishing house, & time it was made, this chart was most likely manufactured using 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. Although it has existed since the mid-1790s, it took a long time to gain popularity in Europe due to technical difficulties. It only began gaining commercial popularity in the early 1820s. It is still used for certain kinds of printing today, such as fine art printing, 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 what was supposed to be printed is revealed. It is extremely useful for making high-resolution prints in high quantities.
Directories / Credits
All credit for the 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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