DESCRIPTION: Fine antique small-scale nautical chart (Sheet 2 of 3) of northern Torres Strait, the body of water separating the continent of Australia (Nouvelle Hollande) from New Guinea. Last corrections in 1874. One of 4 charts of the Torres Strait area produced by the Depot de la Marine, this being the second detail sheet encompassing the north end of the strait near New Guinea.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: 1874
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Australia
BODY OF WATER: Torres Strait
CONDITION: Good.
A few spots on supple laid chart paper. Single horizontal fold. Small marginal tears.
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER: Jacobs and Chassant
SIZE: 24
" x
36 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 59
PRICE: $200
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