1856 Physical Chart of the Atlantic Ocean
By: Alexander K. Johnston
Date: 1856 (published) Edinburgh
Dimensions: 20 x 24 inches (51 x 61 cm)
This is A.K. Johnston's highly detailed Physical Chart of the Atlantic Ocean. The map was published in the 2nd edition of Johnston's Physical Atlas of Natural Phenomena, out of Edinburgh by William Blackwood & Sons in 1856.
Sea charts had been drawn by cartographers for centuries, but this chart by Johnston is much more than a sea chart, for it provides information which new technology was able to gather. Some of the information provided by the map includes the velocity of currents in the Atlantic, the velocity of the Gulf Stream for each month of the year, currents of the SW region of the South Atlantic including Cape Horn. The chart also depicts a portion of the Mozambique Channel and a southern region of the Pacific. Navigation and trade routes are shown and a highly detailed legend in the upper right facilitates reading of the chart.
Alexander Keith Johnston's Physical Atlas of Natural Phenomena was amongst the most comprehensive geographic works of its time to focus on natural science. Johnston described the motivations and focus of his work in the preface as follows; The object originally contemplated in this work was to present, in a graphic form, a concise yet comprehensive view of the Physical Geography of the Globe, embracing under that term its superficial structure, the movements of its aerial and oceanic currents, and the distribution of organized existence on its surface.
Accompanying the map is the original letterpress description from the atlas that discusses in detail the methodology, science, and theory used in the making of cartographic works such as this.
Condition: Map is in A condition presenting an attractive and vivid imprint on heavy paper with full margins on all sides. Subtle foxing can be found near top center, otherwise the original colors are bright and vibrant.
Inventory #12563
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