1883 Imray Blueback Chart Eastern (1 results)

Good. Reinforced in lower right corner with some slight loss. Some soiling. Voyages traced in manuscript. Size 50.5 x 41 Inches. An impressive 1883 James Imray working nautical chart of eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Multiple voyages are charted in manuscript underscoring Australia's role in the China Trade. A Closer Look Depicting from eastern Papua New Guinea south to the Bass Strait, the eastern Australia coastline is depicted in detail: cities, towns, and villages are labeled, along with capes, points, islands, and other coastal features. Lights are marked with yellow manuscript. Depth soundings are concentrated along the Australian coast but appear sporadically throughout, including along major shipping routes, along the coastlines of Papua New Guinea, and around the Solomon Islands. Numerous inset maps populate inland Australia and detail reefs, islands, and islets, complete with depth soundings, ship passages, and other important landmarks. Manuscript Notations Manuscript notations track six voyages departing from Newcastle, New South Wales, and turning north towards East Asian ports. Three routes pass between Bougainville and New Ireland, while three others navigate between San Cristobal (San Christoval) and the Santa Cruz Islands. Days are tracked along each, along with directions and notes on sea conditions (only calm is labeled). 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 in an effort to cut costs. That being said, not all blueback charts are literally backed with blue paper, some are unbacked or backed with linen. Moreover, as blueback charts which were typically composed of mulitple sheets, they were designed in a modular fashion, so that multiple charts could be joined to created truly massive custom maps suited for specific voyages. 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 Imray and published by James Imray and Son in 1883. This is the only known cataloged example of the 1883 edition of this chart. The National Library of Australia has an example of the 1877 edition in its collection and Yale University has an example of the 1886 edition.