Vanuatu (New Hebrides, Mallicolo)

Antique Views of Vanuatu (New Hebrides)

This category features original antique views and prints depicting Vanuatu, formerly known as the New Hebrides, an archipelago in the southwestern Pacific. Historic images frequently show coastal outlines, anchorage approaches and natural scenery as the islands were encountered by European navigators and artists during exploration in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Many prints derive from field sketches recorded during naval and exploratory voyages, later reproduced as engravings or lithographs for atlases, travel narratives and geographic collections. These views capture early European impressions of the island group, highlighting natural features and settlement sites that played a role in maritime navigation and regional exchange.

Antique Vanuatu views are valued for their rarity, historic context and ability to convey early Pacific island landscapes. As original period works on paper, they offer collectors and historians visual documentation of Vanuatu’s geographic and cultural presence during a formative period of Pacific cartography and contact.