New Guinea

Antique Views of New Guinea

This category features original antique views and prints depicting New Guinea, one of the largest and most geographically complex islands in the Pacific. Historic images often focus on coastal approaches, river mouths, mountain backdrops and early settlements, reflecting the ways in which European navigators and artists first encountered and recorded the island’s dramatic natural environment.

Many prints derive from sketches made during exploratory and naval expeditions of the 18th and 19th centuries, later translated into engravings or lithographs for publication in atlases, voyage accounts and scientific works. These views capture both navigational priorities and early cultural contact, offering insight into how New Guinea was perceived at a time of limited geographic knowledge.

Antique New Guinea views are valued for their rarity, historical context and visual documentation of a region that remained challenging to map and explore. As original works on paper, they remain significant for collectors and researchers interested in Pacific exploration and early cartographic representation.