DESCRIPTION: Attractive antique harbor chart of Cartagena ( Carthagene ), Spain derived from the surveys of Admiral Don Vincente Tofiño de San Miguel. Noted geographical features of this plan of the port city of Cartagena on Spain's Mediterranean coast include Escombrera Bay ( Ensenada de Escombreras ) and Escombrera Island, Cartagena Harbor, "Montagne des Maures" ( Cerro de los Moros ) , "Petit Algameque" ( Algameca Chica ) , Plage des Chaloupes, and Cap Negrete.
Based on Tofino de San Miguel's chart which was originally published from Spain in the Atlas Maritimo de España in 1789. This later French edition was published by the French Depot General des Cartes et Plans in year 8 of the French revolution which dates it to roughly 1799 - 1800.
The chart contains much detail of both the terrain, local fortifications, and hydrographical features. A legend at top left contains several dozen entries keyed to military, religious, and secular locations of importance. Among these are "le Catedrale"- the cathederal; "Le Bagne"- the prison; "Depot de bois dans l'eau"- a series of connected pond-like pools near the shipyard where planking, spars and other lumber used in shipbuilding could be seasoned in water; "Pompe a Feu" - the fire pump; and numerous other entries. Sailing directions at top right. All text is in French.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: 1799
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Spain
BODY OF WATER:
CONDITION: Good.
A strong impression on strong chain-laid paper. A bit of foxing near the top and on the verso. Two small repairs to the margins, outside the neatline and not impacting the image,
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER:
SIZE: 20
" x
15 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 8
PRICE: $600
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