Imray, James (James Imray and Son, Blanchford and Imray, Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson)

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".