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Published following the height of Anglo-Russian tensions surrounding the Crimean War (1853-56), this American atlas map distils recent British Admiralty and Russian hydrographic work into a clear guide of navigation and coastal defense. The pale blue tint unifies the Baltic while dense place-naming and finely lithographed coastlines trace every skerry from the Kattegat to the Gulf of Finland. Lighthouses, telegraph stations, and fortified works are signaled by small icons explained in a boxed legend at upper right, reflecting the strategic concerns that brought Anglo-French fleets into these waters in 1854 and 1855.
Five inset plans along the lower margin concentrate on ports that had become synonymous with the conflict: Cronstadt and Saint Petersburg guard the approaches to the Neva; Sveaborg faces Helsinki; Port Baltic and Reval (Tallinn) watch the Estonian coast; and Riga anchors the eastern gulf. Each inset enlarges local reefs, channels, and batteries, transforming the map into a practical reference for armchair admirals and newspaper readers reflecting on the Crimean War.
Desilver’s ornate scroll border, carried over from earlier Tanner-Mitchell plates, frames the map and lends it the ornamental character that made the Universal Atlas a best-seller in mid-century America.
