Teekens en Verkortingen - Ministerie van Marine

An official 1921 Dutch hydrographic chart legend detailing the symbols and abbreviations used for maritime navigation.

This document, titled Teekens en Verkortingen, serves as the official legend for hydrographic charts issued by the Dutch Ministry of Marine in 1921. It provides a systematic guide to the symbols, abbreviations, and notations used by the Afdeeling Hydrographie to communicate complex maritime data. The chart is organised into distinct categories: general abbreviations, seabed composition, topographical features, and light signals for navigation.

Each section functions as a functional reference tool for mariners and cartographers. The document details how to represent various depths, coastal characteristics, and hazards such as shipwrecks or submerged rocks. The right-hand column focuses on light signals, illustrating the specific patterns and colours used for lighthouses and lightships. The bottom section includes technical notes regarding depth measurements, datum levels, and the calculation of longitude relative to the Greenwich meridian.

Visually, the work is defined by its grid-based structure and precise, utilitarian typography. The layout reflects the administrative rigour of the early twentieth-century Dutch naval department. The paper shows signs of its archival history, including a stamp from June 1921 and handwritten annotations in the lower margin. This print offers a view into the history of maritime navigation and the standardisation of nautical communication. It is a piece of technical ephemera that documents the methods used to map the seas during a period of significant development in international hydrographic standards.