Depot de la Marine
1871

Antique nautical chart of the Bay and Port of Falmouth, England

Angleterre, Cote Sud, Port of Falmouth reconnu par le Cap.ne G. Williams et le Master J.S. Wells . . .

DESCRIPTION: Very attractive 1870 antique nautical chart of the Port of Falmouth, England on the south coast of Cornwall. The chart includes the towns of Penryn, Flushing, and Falmouth with an 3" x 4" inset map of Truro at left. Carefully hand-colored after issue, this fine French Sea chart is a fabulous example of the value and appeal that coloring can add to a chart. The blue wash coloring along the coastal margins and light brown highlights of the carefully hachured topographic detail heighten the allure of this decorative navigational lithograph. This chart would make a fine gift for any sailor or boat-man who travels the waters near Falmouth Bay.

Filled with the expected hundreds of depth soundings, isobaths (countour lines of equal depth below the surface), navigational hazards and aids to navigation. Also includes copious detail of the creeks, roads, villages, and topography in the surrounding area. A sample of those details include: Pendennis Castle; St. Mawes Harbor; Swan Pool; St. Gluvias Church; Beacon Hill; Conreeth Moor; the Truro branch of the West Cornwall Railway; St. Michael Penkevit Church; Saint Anthony Church; and Lamorran Church

Contains a blue ink over-stamp from the seller "Au Semaphore" in Havre, France.

Originally issued by France's Depot des Cartes et Plans de la Marine in 1867, this edition contains corrections up to 1870. Chart is based on an earlier work from 1853 by the British Admiralty. Number 2445.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.

CREATOR: Depot de la Marine

PUBLICATION DATE: 1871

GEOGRAPHIC AREA: England

BODY OF WATER: English Channel

CONDITION: Very good.  Very clean with no foxing or major issues. A few chips along the edges and one repaired maginal tear outside the image. Will frame very nicely.

COLORING: Later fine hand coloring.

ENGRAVER: Geisendorfer

SIZE: 24 " x 36 "

ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 64

PRICE: $825

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