A Woman of Prince William’s Sound.

Rare engraving from the official British Admiralty sanctioned edition of the accounts of Cook’s third and final voyage. All other later copies made of this image by other publishers were unauthorised, usually smaller and inferior in quality.

Having found Controller Bay, Alaska which he given the name Comptrollers Bay, Prince William Sound, Cook proceeded North and anchored at Snug Corner Cove repairing a leak 16-17 May, 1778.

‘a fine bay or rather harbour…a very snug place’.

‘But I saw not a woman with a head dress of any kind, they had all long black hair a part of which was tied up in a bunch over the forehead. ..though the lips of all were not slit, yet all were bored, especially the women and even the young girls; to these holes and slits they fix pieces of bone of this size and shape, placed side by side in the inside of the lip; a thread is run through them to keep them together, and some goes quite through the lip and fastens, or fore-locks on the out side to which they hang other pieces of bones or threads.’ Cook Journals III, 1, 350

References: Beddie 1743-47, p.341, Joppien 3.457A, ill.p.481

From Cook & King, A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean Undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere….

‘I saw not a woman with a head dress of any kind, they had all long black hair a part of which was tied up in a bunch over the forehead & though the lips of all were not slit, yet all were bored, especially the women and even the young girls to these holes and slits they fix pieces of bone of this size and shape, placed side by side in the inside of the lip a thread is run through them to keep them together. This Ornament is a very great impediment to the Speech.’