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C1842
ANTARCTICA-Passage du Cercle Polaire, le 19 Janvier 1840
Superb lithograph of the crew of the French ships, Astrolabe and Zelle, under the command of Dumont D’Urville, celebrating crossing the Antarctic Circle in a ceremony that appears to be similar to the one for crossing the equator. The French … Read Full Description
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Full Title:
ANTARCTICA-Passage du Cercle Polaire, le 19 Janvier 1840
Date:
C1842
Condition:
In good condition.
Technique:
Hand coloured lithograph.
Image Size:
325mm
x 218mm
Paper Size:
522mm
x 347mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1842
Description:
Superb lithograph of the crew of the French ships, Astrolabe and Zelle, under the command of Dumont D’Urville, celebrating crossing the Antarctic Circle in a ceremony that appears to be similar to the one for crossing the equator.
The French ships reached Port Famine at the end of 1838 and after a few days rest, headed further south on January 8th. They sighted their first ice floe the following day and a few days later at 59° 30’S ‘an immense block in the form of a triangular prism’ could be seen, glistening when the fog lifted. Dumont D’Urville’s instructions were to follow Weddell’s route and see how far beyond the Englishman’s final latitude they could penetrate. His crew had been promised a bonus of 100 francs each if they reached 75°S and a further 20 francs for every degree further south. The ships reached 65° where they were confronted by an impenetrable ice floe. ‘To the limits of the horizon on both east and west, spread an immense plain of blocks of ice…’. D’Urville at this point was forced to turn back and on March 7 the two ships left the South Shetlands.
After exploring the southern regions Dumont D’Urville the ships sailed to the Pacific visiting many of the islands, Singapore, Batavia, and reached Hobart at the end of 1839.
After a short period of rest in Hobart the ships headed south again on January 1, 1840, this time reaching about 64°S and found themselves suddenly surrounded by icebergs. On January 19, land was sighted, it was completely covered with snow so high it was impossible to see the summit. D’Urville named the coast, Terre Adelie after his wife. The expedition had established the approximate position of the magnetic pole and D’Urville felt that their task had been accomplished and left Antarctica and headed for New Zealand.
The maps and views were published in the official accounts of the voyage and are the finest ever produced of Antarctica and intended to reflect France’s rightful place on the international stage.
 Embossed blind stamp Gide Editeur Paris denoting that is from the original edition of Voyage au Pole Sud.
References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 :: 3184.
Sabin, J. A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time. New York. (1936) 1967 :: Sabin 21256.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974 :: #508, p.177.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1479708
Bibliotheque Nationale de France: Identifier : ark:/12148/bpt6k97680n
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 :: 3184.
Sabin, J. A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time. New York. (1936) 1967 :: Sabin 21256.
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974 :: #508, p.177.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1479708
Bibliotheque Nationale de France: Identifier : ark:/12148/bpt6k97680n
Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (1790 - 1842)
Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842) was a French explorer and naval officer. Dumont d’Urville sailed from Toulon on 22 April 1826, towards the Pacific Ocean in his first voyage in the Astrolabe, for a circumnavigation of the world that was to lasted nearly three years. The expedition returned to Marseille on 25 March 1829. The Astrolabe was originally named Coquille and used for Louis Isidore Duperrey's circumnavigation of the earth (1822–1825). She was renamed after the navigational instrument, the astrolabe, a precursor to the sextant. In his second voyage in the Astrolabe and the Zélée he sailed from Toulon on 7 September 1837 with the aim to reach the most southerly point possible at this time in the Weddell Sea; to pass through the Strait of Magellan; to travel up the coast of Chile in order to head for Oceania with the objective of inspecting the new British colonies in Western Australia; to sail to Hobart; and to sail to New Zealand to find opportunities for French whalers and to examine places where a penal colony might be established. After passing through the East Indies, the mission would have to round the Cape of Good Hope and returning on 6 November 1840.
View other items by Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville
Louis Le Breton (1818 - 1866)
Louis Le Breton (1818-1866) Breton was French marine artist and was the official artist on board the voyage of exploration under the command of Dumont D'Urville. From 1847 he devoted himself mainly to depicting marine subjects for the French Navy.
