Ode To Oceanography: An Antique Nautical Chart of the Eastern Coast Of The United States

A photograph taken of the verdant lush Great Abaco Island, featured in the Bahamian extension of today’s map. Credit to seaglassfound.com.

Today’s nautical chart is a timeworn 189-year-old map of the Eastern Coast of the United States, from Florida to Massachusetts.

The chart is extraordinarily large, being 122 inches long & 29 inches wide. It includes a rare extension featuring a chart of the Bahamas. It is in fantastic condition for its time, & has minor soiling consistent with use during sailing.

In today’s article, we are going to examine this antique map, discuss it, & perform an analysis of it. With that being said, let’s delve into the cool waters of the Atlantic!

The Chart

A magnificent antique Nautical Chart of the East Coast of the United States, as well as the Bahamas. It was first designed & published by Edmund M. Blunt in 1826, & later revised & republished in 1837. Credit to raremaps.com

This chart focuses on the East Coast of the United States with an extension into the Bahamas. It includes numerous important harbours, estuaries, & capes, such as Charleston Harbour, Port Royal, St. Mary’s River, Cape Fear, Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, Winyah Bay, Lewiston Bay, Havana, & St. Augustine. It also includes several important islands, such as Cumberland Island & Amelia Island.

There are approximately 16 compass roses strewn across the map. There are numerous descriptions for different locations such as “Dead shells”, “The river lies in deepest water”, “White sand with black and yellow specks and fine white shells”, “This cape appears like a round hill, “Sunken rock”, “Sand & shells”, & “The current here is directed by the wind”. Each of these remarks would have been extraordinarily useful to sailors of the era, & provide a unique insight into the natural landscape.

The Bahamas extension is a rare addition, which extends from Florida to the Bahamas. The extension contains much information such as information about water depth, shore composition, local currents, & even lighthouses. A small lighthouse titled “Revolving light”, can be seen on the southern tip of Great Abaco Island. Another lighthouse can be seen near modern-day Nassau.

Moving up the East Coast, a comment about the Highlands of Navesink can be seen. “There are two lighthouses on the Highlands of Navesink, the northern one showing a fixed, the southern one a revolving light.” Long Island can be prominently seen at the extreme right of the map.

The chart is in amazing condition, with minor soiling consistent with being used on a ship.

An Analysis Of The Charts

A photograph of the cartographer who designed the chart, Edmund March Blunt. Credit to the Blunt Family.

This chart was designed, & created by Edmund March Blunt (1770 to 1862). The chart was originally illustrated in 1826, & had additions in 1837. Edmund March Blunt was an American cartographer, chartmaker, hydrographer, & bookseller, best known for his guide “The American Pilot”, which detailed every American port at the time of publishing in 1796. In response to this immense success, he later published 21 subsequent revisions, each with important updates. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential hydrographers of the 19th century in the United States. It is titled “To The Members Of The Nautical Institution And Ship-Masters' Society Of The City Of New York, This Chart, Extending From Lat. 40°15 N., Long. 72°15 W., to Lat. 22°35 N., Long. 80°25 W., Is Respectfully Dedicated / By Their Obedient Servant Edmund M. Blunt . . . 1826 . . . Additions to 1837”. Although originally dedicated to the Marine Society of New York, the title was later changed to reflect the founding of the Nautical Institution & Ship Master’s Society.

Interestingly, this chart was published in a series by Blunt’s Publishing House from 1820 to 1827. It was originally published in 1826, & later revised in 1837.

This chart was originally manufactured for civilian use. It is extremely accurate for the era, with scarcely a headland, island, reef, or rock being left off.

Upon considering the incredible quality & detail of the chart, the publishing house it belongs to, & the time it was manufactured in, it was 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, & only began gaining commercial popularity in the early 1820s. 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 what was supposed to be printed is revealed.

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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