1872 Imray Nautical Map of Rio de la Plata, Buenos Aires Region

Plotting the Rio de la Plata.

This large, richly detailed, and rare work is James Imray's 1872 working, blueback nautical chart of the Río de la Plata in South America. It was surveyed during, and printed shortly after, the War of the Triple Alliance (1864 - 1870), fought by Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina against Paraguay, largely over control of this waterway. It is the premier nautical mapping of the Río de la Plata to appear in the second half of the 19th century.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the mouth of the Río de la Plata from Cape St. Antonio in the south to just beyond Cape Jose Ignacio in the north; the Plata is surveyed as far up as Martin Garcia Island, Martin Chico Point, and the Boca del Mini. The chart extends upstream as far as the shallow delta of the Rio Parana and the mouth of the Uruguay River. In addition, it also details the approaches to both Buenos Aires and Montevideo. It includes inset charts of the 'Buenos Ayres' Roads, the Colonia Roads, Montevideo, Maldonado Bay, and Lobos Island. The insets of Buenos Aires and Montevideo incorporate city plans.

The chart is meticulously detailed, with countless soundings. Lighthouses are marked and highlighted with hand color. It not only includes hazards but also alerts the navigator to many locations where information was deemed uncertain or unreliable. A note encourages the navigator to avail themselves of local expertise:

No part of the River has been thoroughly surveyed and much of it (the Ortiz Banks especially) is believed to be very imperfectly represented, hence Shipmasters are recommended to obtain the assistance of a Pilot when bound to any part westward of Montevideo... Rainy season brings large quantities of soil, causing changes in direction and depth of channels... another reason why a pilot should be employed.

Montevideo

The inset of Montevideo Bay shows the city's street grid expanded well beyond the Ciudad Vieja, spreading up the peninsula onto the mainland. The inset generally offers more inland coastal information than the rest of the chart. In addition to the lighthouse atop the Cerro de Montevideo, the inset also notes the location of defensive batteries.

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. 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 chart makers outside of England, including Americans Edmund March Blunt and George Eldridge, as well as Scandinavian, French, German, Russian, and Spanish chart makers. 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 chart was first executed by the Imray firm in 1865, completely replacing a chart of the waterway they produced in 1856. The chart was then updated to 1868, retaining the 1865 magnetic variation. The present 1872 edition appears to exhibit no new cartographic detail over the 1868 edition. We see no examples of the 1868 and this 1872 state in any institutional collection, and a single copy of the 1865 state in the British Library; we are also aware of a 1878 edition.

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

Very good. Some soiling in margins. Although stylistically a 'blueback', this map does not have a blue blacking.

References

OCLC 557920420 (1865 edition).