Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), US naval officer and oceanographer. Maury served as superintendent of the Depot of Charts and Instruments. He distributed specially prepared logbooks to ships' captains and from their entries deduced the course of the currents in the Atlantic. In 1850 he produced a chart of ocean depths and discovered an area now known as the Mid-Atlantic ridge, where the seabed has been raised through tectonic and volcanic activity. During the Civil War, he was a Commander in the Confederate Navy. Photographed between 1860 and 1865. This photograph is from the collection of the US Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.