1873 Imray Blueback Chart or Map of the Lesser Antilles (West Indies)

Working Nauical Chart encompassing all of the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Island and St. Lucia.

This is an 1873 James Imray blueback nautical chart or maritime map of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. The map depicts the region from the eastern portion of Puerto Rico to Barbados and from Puerto Rico to South America, including the Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Highly detailed, coastal locations are labeled on each of the islands and topography is illustrated on those islands that had been surveyed. Each island also bears the label of which colonial power controlled the island, whether it was France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, or Sweden. Depth soundings are included around the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Bartholomew, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Eustatius, St. Christopher, Nevis, the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as along the South American coast. Numerous locations along the coast of South America are also labeled, including the Orinoco River Delta and its mouth. Ten profile views of the islands are included along both the top and bottom border, including Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, and St. Eustatius. Notes on the soundings and lines of longitude are situated along the right border, along with a note from the publishers stating that they 'request communications that may tend to the improvement of this, or any of their works'.

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 warp unbound pamphlets, was adopted as a practical way to reinforce the low-quality paper used by private chart publishers in an effort to cut costs. 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 their own superior charts on high quality paper that did not require reinforcement.

Publication History and Census

This map was compiled by James F. Imray and published by James Imray and Son in 1873. This map is owned jointly by Geographicus and Vetus Carta Maps.

Cartographer

James Imray (May 16, 1803 - November 15, 1870) was a Scottish hydrographer and stationer active in London during the middle to latter part of the 19th century. Imray is best known as the largest and most prominent producer of blue-back charts, a type of nautical chart popular from about 1750 to 1920 and named for its distinctive blue paper backing (although not all charts called "blue-backs" actually have a blue backing). Unlike government charts issued by the British Admiralty, the U.S. Coast Survey, and other similar organizations, Imray's charts were a private, profit-based venture. They were not generally the result of unique survey work. Rather, Imray's charts were judicious and beautiful composites based on pre-existing charts (some dating to the 17th century) and new information gleaned from governmental and commercial pilots and navigators. Imray was born in Spitalfields, England, the eldest son of a Jacobite dyer also named James. Imray did not follow his father's profession; instead, he apprenticed to William Lukyn, a stationer. He established himself as a bookseller and bookbinder at 116 Minories Street, where he shared offices with the nautical chart publisher Robert Blanchford (1775 - c. 1852). In 1836, Imray signed on as a full partner in Blanchford's enterprise, christening themselves Blanchford & Imray. At the time, the Blanchford firm lagged far behind competing chart publishers Norie and Laurie; nevertheless, with the injection of Imray's marketing savvy, the firm began a long rise. James Imray bought out Blanchford's share in 1846, becoming the sole proprietor of the chart house, publishing under the imprint of James Imray. Relocating in 1850 to larger offices at 102 Minories, Imray was well on track to become the most prominent chart publisher in London. In 1854, when Imray's 25-year-old son, James Frederick Imray, joined as a full partner, the firm again changed its imprint, this time to James Imray and Son. The elder Imray was a master of marketing and quick to respond to shifts in trade and historical events. Many of his most successful charts were targeted at specific trade routes; for example, he issued charts titled "Cotton Ports of Georgia" and "Rice Ports of India". Other charts emerged quickly following such events as the 1849 California Gold Rush. Imray's rise also coincided with the development of governmental mapping organizations such as the Admiralty and the U.S. Coast Survey, whose work he appropriated and rebranded in practical format familiar to navigators. Imray's death in 1870 marked a major transition in the firm's output and the beginning of its decline. Though Imray's son, James Frederick, excelled at authoring pilot books, he had little experience with charts and issued few new publications. Most James Frederick Imray publications issued from 1870 to 1899 were either revisions of earlier maps prepared by his father or copies of British Admiralty charts. Charts from this period are recognizable as less decorative than the elder Imray's charts, which follow the stylistic conventions established by the Admiralty. The Admiralty itself at the same time began to rise in prominence, issuing its own official charts that were both cheaper and more up to date than those offered by private enterprises. By the end of the century, the firm was in decline, and in 1899, "James Imray and Son" amalgamated with the similarly suffering "Norie and Wilson", which was itself acquired by Laurie in 1904. Today, it continues to publish maritime charts as "Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson".   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Full professional restoration. Portions of top and bottom border reinstated in manuscript. Light soiling and toning. Blank on verso.