One of James McNeill Whistler's Earliest Works

"Reconnaissance of Smith's or Blunt's Island Washington... [on sheet with] Sketch of Anacapa Island in Santa Barbara Channel", U.S. Coast Survey

The Office of Coast Survey is the oldest U.S. scientific organization, dating from 1807 when Congress directed that a "survey of the coast" be carried out. By 1836, it was called the U.S. Coast Survey and in 1878, the name was changed to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Today the Office of Coast Survey is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA.

The survey teams, composed of civilians as well as Army and Naval officers, charted the nation's waterways and produced a wide array of reports, survey charts, hydrographic studies of tides and currents, astronomical studies and observations, and coastal pilots. These charts are an important record of the changing nature of the nation's coastlines. In additional to coastal charts, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey produced land sketches, Civil War battle maps, and the early aeronautical charts.

This sheet features two small charts. The first shows Smith Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington, complete with soundings and other navigational information. The second chart depicts the volcanic Anacapa Island off the coast of Ventura County, California, with a view of the eastern part of the island. It is notable for being engraved in part by James McNeill Whistler, the maverick American painter who was a leader in the Aesthetic Movement, which emphasized the idea of "art for art's sake." Whistler lasted 3 months in the Coast Survey and engraved only two charts before setting off on his remarkable career as an artist.

References:

Condition: B+

Issued folding with minor toning along the folds and a tiny split at the fold intersection that has been closed on verso with archival tape. A binding trim at lower left has been partially replaced with old paper to accommodate framing.