DESCRIPTION: Antique lithographed chart of waters offshore of the west coast of France from southwest of the village of Saint Gildas and the Pointe du Grand-Mont. First published in 1826, this chart near the Brittany coast in western France includes the peninsula of Presqu'ile Quiberon and is the edition of January 1903 published with the latest updates in 1908.
Very extensive and minute detail of the shorelines and near shore areas with elevation denoted by fine hachuring. Thousands of soundings with isobath contour lines and navigational hazards would have aided the coastal navigator in the area. At the far right a particularly dangerous area for navigators, the "Plateau de la Recherche" is highlighted in brown
This is a early 20th century linen-mounted folding chart, an updated edition of a chart first published by France's Depot de la Marine in 1827. This lithographed nautical chart is based on the original surveys conducted during 1820 and 1821 under supervision of Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré (1766-1854), considered to be the father of modern French hydrography. Beautemps-Beaupre was one of the earliest hydrographers to use isobaths to represent water depth.
Linen verso is printed via letterpress with "BELLE-ILE Entrée de la Baie de Quiberon. Iles Houat et Haedik". Number 135.The Depot de la Marine was established in 1720 under the French Ministry of the Navy to collect, preserve, and publish nautical charts, sailing directions, and maritime intelligence for the French naval service. Its purpose was both archival and practical: to centralize geographic knowledge gathered from voyages, surveys, and colonial administration, and to convert that information into standardized charts for navigation. Over the eighteenth century the Depot became the principal hydrographic authority of France, issuing engraved sea charts that incorporated data from naval expeditions, colonial outposts, and scientific voyages.
Following the French Revolution, the institution was reorganized and its chart production expanded, particularly during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as global maritime competition intensified. The Depot de la Marine supervised official surveys, revised earlier charts, and maintained copperplates for continued reissue as coastal knowledge improved. In 1886 it was formally reorganized as the Service hydrographique de la Marine, the predecessor of today’s French hydrographic office. Charts bearing the Depot imprint remain important records of French naval activity, colonial expansion, and the technical development of European hydrography.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1908
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: France
BODY OF WATER: Atlantic Ocean
CONDITION: Good.
Laid to linen in eight parts as issued. No holes or tears. Linen backing is somewhat browned with a few spots. Small slight water stain at center.
COLORING: None except that some aids to navigation are colored red with yellow highlights.
ENGRAVER: Michel
SIZE: 35
" x
23 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 66
PRICE: $425
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