1864 Imray Nautical Chart Map (1 results)

1st Edition. Good. Original blue paper backing. Some spotting. Minor dampstain upper left corner. Size 27.25 x 41 Inches. This is a rare 1864 James Imray and Son blueback nautical chart or maritime map of Hispaniola or Santo Domingo, here identified as 'Haïti'. The chart is large and finely engraved with ample coastal detail, some inland topography, and depth soundings throughout. Pencil marks trace a Spanish voyage, likely out of Cadiz, along the island's northern coast. Historical Context When this map was issued, Hispaniola was divided between two rival powers despite being singularly identified as 'Haïti' here. Haiti, primarily occupied by French-speaking formerly enslaved people, occupied the eastern 2/3rds of the island. The Spanish-speaking Santo Domingo, today's Dominican Republic, occupied the eastern third. The entire island, at the time, was in political disarray. Haiti was controlled by Guillaume Fabre Nicolas Geffrard (1806 - 1878), the self-styled 'Duke of Tabara', a former general and the President of Haiti from 1859 to 1867. On the Dominican side of the island, Pedro Santana y Familias (1801 - 1864) was attempting to return Santo Domingo to Spanish rule despite significant internal protest, leading to the Dominican Restoration War (1863 - 1865). In the year after this map was made, Santana died, and Buenaventura Báez (1812 - 1884) established the Second Dominican Republic, becoming its first president. Blueback Charts Blueback nautical charts began appearing in London in the late 18th century. Bluebacks, as they came to be called, were privately published large-format nautical charts known for their distinctive blue paper backing. The backing, a commonly available blue manila paper traditionally used by publishers to wrap unbound pamphlets, was adopted as a practical way to reinforce the low-quality paper used by private chart publishers to cut costs. That being said, not all blueback charts are literally backed with blue paper. The earliest known blueback charts include a 1760 chart issued by Mount and Page and a 1787 chart issued by Robert Sayer. The tradition took off in the early 19th century, when British publishers like John Hamilton Moore, Robert Blachford, James Imray, William Heather, John William Norie, Charles Wilson, David Steel, R. H. Laurie, and John Hobbs, among others, rose to dominate the chart trade. Bluebacks became so popular that the convention was embraced by chartmakers outside of England, including Americans Edmund March Blunt and George Eldridge, as well as Scandinavian, French, German, Russian, and Spanish chartmakers. Blueback charts remained popular until the late 19th century when government-subsidized organizations like the British Admiralty Hydrographic Office and the United States Coast Survey began issuing superior charts on high-quality paper that did not require reinforcement. Publication History and Census This map was published in London by James Imray and Son, chartmakers, in 1864. This is most likely the first edition, as it is the earliest we have identified. Curiously, the map was printed on the back of another chart - depicting the Thames Estuary, also by Imray, giving some insight into the firm's 'recycling' operation. This chart is extremely rare, with no recorded holdings of the map in this edition. Brown University has an 1882 edition. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France has another, dated 1867, and a third example is cataloged at the Museu Marítim de Barcelona. References: OCLC 36721085 (1882), 495082330 (1867). Museu Marítim de Barcelona #531C.