Ode To Oceanography: An Antique Nautical Chart of the Florida Keys

Today’s nautical chart is a 166-year-old nautical map of the Florida Keys, from Ramrod Key to Boca Grande Key! The Florida Keys are a magnificent set of islands off the coast of the Florida Panhandle in the United States. They are known for their distinctive wildlife, relaxing resorts, & beautiful beaches. They are located in the Gulf of Mexico, from The chart depicts the lower portion of the Florida Keys, known as the Southern Keys.

The chart is in English, & contains a tremendous amount of information about seafloor depth, seafloor composition, lighthouses, information about when data was taken, & crash sites of unlucky ships. It showcases the names of various islands, including charming, idyllic destinations such as Summerland Key, & Key West.

It is of fair size, being 31 inches wide, & 22.5 inches long. The chart is cream coloured, with islands being covered yellow to differentiate from the sea, & details being outlined in black. For the time, the depiction of the islands were fairly accurate, making them an incredibly useful resource to any sailor of the era who passed through the area often.

In today’s article, we shall discuss this intriguing nautical chart, perform an analysis of it. With that being said, let us delve into the  warm, erratic waters of the Florida Keys!

A beautiful aerial photograph of Ramrod Key, the island at the beginning of the map in the lower Florida Keys. This was taken on October 7th, 1987. Credit to the Federal Government of the United States of America.

The Chart

A gorgeous antique Nautical Chart designed by the United States Office in Coast Survey. Courtesy of Rare Maps.

In the introduction, we discussed the subject of the map, an island chain known as the Florida Keys. The chart includes a variety of island names, from Boca Grande to Shark Key.

The map is relatively undamaged, with the main visible flaws being yellowed marks running vertically & horizontally.

As can be visualized by the numbers visible in the ocean, the chart also includes a vast amount of bathymetric data, meaning data about the sea floor. In addition to including information about depth, it also includes information about composition. A table at the bottom of the map explains that the chart has markers for different materials that the seafloor is composed of, including mud, sand, shells, coral, stones, rock, & marl. To the right on the table, we can also see that the chart gives information on the hardness of the sea floor, going from broken to rocky. This information would have been particularly useful to ships looking to anchor in the area, as composition of the sea floor affects what kind of anchor will be used.

Also at the bottom, is a list of local lighthouses, as well as tidal information.

An Analysis Of The Chart

This chart was designed & manufactured in 1859, by the United States Coastal Survey.

The United States Coastal Survey was founded in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson. During the War of 1812, many disagreements ensued over whether or not the office should be civilian, or military controlled. This eventually led to the agency being re-founded in 1832 by Rudolph Hassled as a civilian agency, although they still collaborated closely with the military, working closely with the army & navy for hydrographic as well as topographic work. Unfortunately, the agency was disrupted by the civil war, during which Alexander Dallas Bache, the grandson of Ben Franklin. Later, post-civil war, after the country began returning to a state of normalcy, the party began employing more scientists, & naturalists. The agency also had an active role in the second world war, manufacturing over 100 million maps for the allies. In 1970, the agency was merged with several other governmental institutions to form the modern National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

Considering the history of the United States Coastal Survey, this chart was likely manufactured for both military & civilian use.

Upon reviewing the quality, & time that the map was manufactured in, the 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, & 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. It is extremely useful for making high-resolution prints in high quantities.

A serene photograph of Boca Grande, Florida. This is the furthest island away from the mainland depicted in the chart. Credit to photographer Rob Wiltse.

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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