{"product_id":"old-map-of-oceania-by-tunison-1881-mercator-projection-colonial-empires-table-pacific-phantom-islands","title":"Old Map of Oceania by Tunison, 1881: Mercator projection; colonial empires table; Pacific phantom islands","description":"\u003cp\u003eTunison's Oceania is an arresting window onto the Pacific world as imagined and administered in 1881. Drawn by H. C. Tunison for his Peerless Universal Atlas of the World, it distills a vast and scattered region—Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Hawaii, Micronesia, French Polynesia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Tonga—into a legible, richly annotated tableau. A visually distinct cartouche at lower right proclaims the title, while a mastery of engraving draws coastlines, archipelagos, and oceanic voids with equal grace. Tunison’s reputation for ornate clarity is fully on display: political boundaries and physical contours coexist, revealing a Pacific at once scientifically surveyed and still being shaped by imperial ambition and maritime curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of the composition is a compact yet revealing table of colonial possessions, a ledger of power naming Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal across Oceania. This declarative sidebar turns the map into a geopolitical document, situating islands as nodes in far‑flung imperial networks. British authority frames Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji; France’s reach appears in New Caledonia and Tahiti; Spain’s legacy lingers across Micronesian chains; Dutch claims touch New Guinea’s western rim; Portugal’s Timorese foothold haunts the region’s western threshold. Ports, straits, and capes are annotated with practical intent, intimating steamer tracks and sailing passages that knitted the Pacific’s immense spaces into the era’s commerce, missions, and telegraphy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStylistically, Tunison favors the refined palette and crisp line work that defined late‑nineteenth‑century American atlas craft. A disciplined graticule and generous ocean labeling—Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean prominently named—anchor the eye, while delicate coastal shading and color washes articulate political territories without crowding the page. The composition likely employs a cylindrical projection in the Mercator tradition, privileging bearings and the east‑west sweep of navigation, an apt choice for a sea that is more route than continent. Engraved typography separates island groups and colonies with quiet elegance, and the ornamental cartouche balances utility with flourish, anchoring the sheet as both reference work and decorative object.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEqually compelling is the map’s embrace of the unknown. Tunison records phantom islands—Byer and Morrell—born from the controversial voyages of American sealer‑captain Benjamin Morrell, plotted northwest of Hawaii. Their presence is a rare, candid acknowledgement of cartography’s transitional moment: residual conjecture alongside accelerating hydrographic precision. Such spectral notations evoke the era’s appetite for discovery and the lingering authority of navigators’ journals, even as naval surveys were steadily erasing earlier myths. In a single glance, one sees the Pacific as memory and measurement—an ocean of stories tightening into data, with margins where rumor and reef still met.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead as a regional portrait, the sheet moves from continental anchors to coral chains with an assured hand. Australia’s colonial outlines and New Zealand’s twin islands stand as southern keystones; to the north and east unfurl the stepping‑stones of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia—Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Kiribati (Gilberts), Tuvalu (Ellice), Tonga, Samoa, and French Polynesia—each crisply named, their reefs, passes, and principal ports annotated for the traveler and the trader. Papua New Guinea’s serrated coasts confront open ocean; Hawaii rises as a mid‑ocean crossroads. It is a map that reads like a voyage: legible, luminous, and alive to the entwined geographies of empire, sea, and island.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCountries and regions on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAustralia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew Zealand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFiji\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePapua New Guinea\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSamoa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHawaii\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMicronesia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrench Polynesia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSolomon Islands\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVanuatu\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew Caledonia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTuvalu\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKiribati\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTonga\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe visually distinct cartouche with the map's title, \"Tunison's Oceania.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA table detailing European colonial possessions in the region.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeveral annotations highlighting the locations of islands, ports, and other geographical features.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIllustrations of phantom islands such as Byer and Morrell.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLabels for major bodies of water, including the Pacific and Indian Oceans.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAntique map from Henry Cuthbert Tunison's Peerless Universal Atlas of The World.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDate of creation: 1881.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapmaker: H.C. Tunison; known for detailed, ornate maps that advanced late-19th-century cartography.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThemes: political and physical geography of Oceania; colonial possessions and maritime routes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign and style: detailed, colorful engraving typical of the era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical significance: reflects Oceania’s geopolitical landscape during colonial expansion and interest in mapping uncharted territories.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 90in (230cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/es\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex\/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58249405989248,"sku":"UM00294968A","price":84.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58249406022016,"sku":"UM00294969A","price":226.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x18in (30x45cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58249406054784,"sku":"UM00294970A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58249406087552,"sku":"UM00294971A","price":84.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58249406120320,"sku":"UM00294972A","price":226.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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