Key West Nautical Chart 1864 — Framed Antique Map Print

The story of this map

Key West in 1864 was the southernmost town in the United States and a busy naval anchorage, and the Coast Survey’s chart no. 469 was the sheet that got ships safely in through the reef. Published at 1:50,000 — a closer scale than most coast charts — it shows the harbor and its approaches in real detail, with an inset on the same sheet.

The pleasure of it is the water. Soundings crowd the channels between the keys and the reef, and the engraving picks out the shallows in that fine stippled way the Coast Survey did so well. The little town itself sits at the western end of the island with its streets sketched in, and the approaches fan out around it. It is a chart you read the way you read a good drawing, following the deep-water channel with a finger.

The date matters too: 1864 is the middle of the Civil War, and Key West stayed in Union hands throughout, which is why the Survey kept its charts of the harbor current.

It suits a Keys or Florida home, a boat-lover’s office, or a bright room with white walls and sea light. Part of our Framed Nautical Charts collection; it pairs well with our 1883 map of Florida. Printed to order on archival matte paper and framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Key West Nautical Chart, 1864: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration plan: crop scan margins, balance colour cast and levels while keeping the paper tone, remove library stamps and scanner artefacts if present, gentle sharpening. No repainting of original content.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

Is this an original antique chart?

No. It is a new archival print of a restored high-resolution scan of the 1864 chart held by the Library of Congress, Geography & Map Division. We never sell originals.

What is actually printed on the chart?

The full sheet of Coast Survey chart no. 469 at 1:50,000: Key West harbor, the reef approaches with their sounding figures, the inset, and the title and scale block.

How big is the map on the sheet?

The original sheet is about 63 x 88 cm (landscape). We print it to fill the paper with a small even margin; the 24 x 36 inch size shows it at close to real size.

Does it come framed?

Choose archival matte paper on its own, a stretched canvas, or a ready-to-hang frame in black, white or natural oak. Framed prints are made in the country of delivery.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Gulf Coast & Galveston Nautical Chart, 1863

US Coast Survey · Library of Congress

$129 18×24 in framed · paper from $35

Antique Map of Florida, 1883

G.W. & C.B. Colton · Boston Public Library, Leventhal Map Center

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
16×12 in	41×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
18×12 in	46×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
20×16 in	51×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×16 in	61×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×18 in	61×46 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
30×20 in	76×51 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
30×24 in	76×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
32×24 in	81×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
36×24 in	91×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
40×30 in	102×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
48×32 in	122×81 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Key West Nautical Chart, 1864

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print