Carte Reduite Des Debouquements, De St. Domingue, Levee, Dressee et Publiee par Ordre du Roi is a masterwork of late-eighteenth-century French hydrography, issued in 1787 by the celebrated Dépôt de la Marine. Focused with rare precision on the Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas, the chart embraces the vital approaches to Hispaniola while also sweeping in eastern Cuba. Its northern reach ascends to Rum Cay, San Salvador Island, and the southern rim of Long Island, taking in Crooked Island, the Inagua Islands, the Plana Cays, and Mayaguana. In one coherent canvas, it assembles the stepping-stones and perilous banks that shaped every transatlantic landfall toward Saint-Domingue, the French Caribbean’s strategic and commercial keystone.

Conceived for the rigors of blue-water navigation, the chart distills the hard-won experience of pilots into a lucid guide to landfalls and passages. “Débouquements” signals its purpose: plotting the exits and entries by which ships escaped the open Atlantic and threaded the reefs to the Windward Passage and the Bahamas routes. Coastal silhouettes, meticulously annotated, pair with a dense language of soundings, shoals, and hazards that warn of coral heads and submerged bars. Mariners could consult these notes to plan tacks against the trades, time their approaches to lee shores, and pick among channels whose fame was matched only by their danger.

The Dépôt de la Marine’s design intelligence is everywhere apparent. A finely ruled graticule supports a Mercator conception ideal for bearing and distance, while a crisp compass rose and an array of rhumb lines orchestrate courses at a glance. The restrained palette heightens legibility: littorals and banks are distinguished from the expanses of sea, and the eye is led naturally from headland to anchorage. A decorative title cartouche, elegant yet purposeful, frames the authority of the state patronage under which the work was made, balancing aesthetic refinement with functional clarity that speaks to the finest traditions of Enlightenment cartography.

Historically, the chart captures the Caribbean at a decisive moment. In 1787, Saint-Domingue was the engine of French colonial wealth, and control of its approaches was a matter of naval strategy as much as commerce. The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos lay astride the lanes used by merchantmen, privateers, and convoys navigating between imperial spheres—French Saint-Domingue, Spanish Cuba, and British Bahamian stations. This sheet embodies the French navy’s quest to standardize and refine maritime knowledge, compressing decades of reconnaissance into a reliable reference on the eve of the political and economic upheavals that would soon reshape these waters.

Its geography reads like a pilot’s recital of decisive choices. The outer islands—San Salvador, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Mayaguana, the Plana Cays, and the Inaguas—stand as sentinels marking the transition from the Atlantic swells into the reef-laced interior seas. Off Hispaniola, annotations pinpoint capes, bights, and river mouths that offered bearings in clear weather and clues in squalls. Depth figures step shoreward with telling compression, signaling sudden shelves, while hazard symbols stipple the banks where a misjudged tide could spell disaster. For the practiced eye, this map is more than a chart: it is a choreography of winds, currents, and decisions—an enduring testament to precision seamanship in the age of sail.

Countries and regions on this map

• Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• Bahamas
• Cuba
• San Salvador Island
• Rum Cay
• Crooked Island
• Inagua Islands
• Plana Cays
• Mayaguana

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Major landmasses: Hispaniola, Turks & Caicos, Lower Bahamas, and Cuba.
• Nautical symbols indicating depth variations and potential hazards.
• Grid lines and compass rose for navigational purposes.
• Various annotations indicating specific locations and navigation points.
• Decorative cartouches or labels showing the title and other important map details.

Historical and design context

• Created in 1787.
• Produced by the Depot de la Marine (the French navy’s chart- and mapmaking office).
• Emphasizes nautical navigation, maritime routes, and coastal topography; reflects the late-18th-century focus on trade and exploration.
• Features a neat, organized grid overlay for navigation.
• Employs a simple, effective color palette highlighting coastal regions and landmasses.
• Represents contemporary maritime knowledge and underscores the growing importance of naval power and Caribbean trade routes during the colonial period.

Please 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.

This 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.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This 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.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.

Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.

We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.

• We can deliver directly to the recipient
• Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
• Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
• Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
• 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide

If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.

Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.

We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.

Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.

Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.

Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.

If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.

Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.

Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 5-year guarantee.

Read our full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.