Uncolored map of the North Pole and the surrounding areas. As a whaling print, this map is notable for the two scenes in the upper left. The vignette on the right in particular, showing whaling and animals, was copied in innumerable eighteenth-century books and prints. The credit for this scene is usually given to the editors of the English translation of Friderich Martens' voyage (Narborough, 1694), believed to be the first to publish it. Pitt's map, however, predates that publication by fourteen years. The various components of the scene are derived from at least three earlier authors, but whether Pitt is the original designer or an earlier source is unknown. The Greenland Eskimo scene on the left is a derivative of Pl. 6 in Jens Munk (John Monch) (Frankfurt, 1650). Another panel at upper right depicts Nova Zembla, and a passage of text addresses the question of whether Nova Zembla should be shown as joined to mainland Russia. The chart is a copy of the polar map in Mercator��s atlas, Hexham edition of 1636. The dedication and elaborate arms gives special recognition to the patron, Right Honorable Charles Fitz Charles.
