JEFFERYS, Thomas (1719-1771)
A Chart Of The Atlantic Ocean
London: Printed for Robert Sayer, 20 February, 1775. Copper-engraved map on laid paper, uncoloured. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 28 5/8 inches.
An extensive eighteenth-century nautical chart of the Atlantic Ocean from the West-India Atlas, illustrating the principal maritime routes connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the height of British Atlantic commerce.
This detailed chart encompasses the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland and northern Europe to the southern coast of South America and the western coast of Africa. The coastlines of North and South America, the British Isles, western Europe, and Africa are carefully delineated, together with the principal islands and archipelagos of the Atlantic, including the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Bermuda, and the West Indies. Numerous coastal settlements, harbours, capes, and navigational landmarks are identified. A network of rhumb lines radiates from compass points across the ocean, providing a framework for plotting courses between the continents. The chart reflects the importance of the Atlantic as the principal maritime corridor connecting Britain's American colonies with Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. By the middle of the eighteenth century, these waters supported an extensive network of commercial shipping, naval operations, and colonial expansion, including the trade in enslaved Africans. Accurate knowledge of coastlines, island positions, and transatlantic routes was essential to merchants and naval commanders alike. The chart's combination of geographical detail and navigational features reflects the practical requirements of this expanding maritime world. Following his death in 1771, Robert Sayer acquired Jefferys' plates and cartographic materials and, in partnership with John Bennett, continued the publication of his work. The present chart was included in The West-India Atlas, published by Sayer and Bennett in 1775. The atlas brought together detailed charts of the Atlantic approaches, the Caribbean islands, and the neighbouring American coastlines, providing a comprehensive geographical and navigational survey of the region. Published at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, the atlas appeared at a moment when accurate maritime intelligence was of particular importance to British naval and commercial interests. Thomas Jefferys was one of the leading English cartographers of the 18th century. From about 1750, he published a series of maps of the Americas, that were among the most significant produced in the period. As Geographer to the Prince of Wales, and after 1761, Geographer to the King, Jefferys was well-placed to have access to the best surveys conducted, and many of his maps held the status of "official work." Jefferys died on 20th November 1771, but Robert Sayer (in partnership with John Bennett) 'having acquired the sole property of the Plates' and other material relating to the work, 'minutely followed' Jefferys' plans for The West India Atlas although Sayer does note that additional work was done using various sources to ensure that the information was up to date.
Item #43181
Price: $2,250.00