Scarce, c.19th hand coloured lithograph of the observatory of the Astrolabe at King George Sound, Western Australia, viewed from Possession Peninsula, by Louis Auguste de Sainson, artist aboard the celebrated French expedition commanded by Jules Dumont d’Urville.
The Astrolabe anchored at King George Sound from 15 to 25 October 1826, where the expedition established an observatory and camp on the eastern side of the entrance to Princess Royal Harbour. The expedition undertook astronomical observations, hydrographic surveys and natural-history collecting, while de Sainson recorded the landscape and the Minang people of the district. Dumont d’Urville considered King George Sound an exceptionally suitable anchorage, noting its plentiful fresh water, timber and sheltered harbour. The French visit was of particular significance as the Astrolabe departed only shortly before Major Edmund Lockyer arrived on 25 December 1826 to establish the first British settlement at King George Sound, later Albany.
From Dumont d’Urville, Voyage de la corvette l’Astrolabe exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826, 1827, 1828 et 1829. Atlas historique, Paris, 1833.
References:
Hill, J. The Hill Collection of Pacific Voyages. San Diego 1974: 504.
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia, Volumes 1–8. Canberra 1976: 1341.
Kerr, J. The Dictionary of Australian Artists, Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1870. Melbourne 1992: p. 69.
Brosse, J. Great Voyages of Exploration. The Golden Age of Discovery in the Pacific. Sydney 1983: pp. 152–154.
Ellis, D. & E. Early Prints of New Zealand 1642–1875. Christchurch 1978: p. 43.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 760392
Te Papa Museum of New Zealand: Registration Number RB001310
Bibliothèque nationale de France: Identifier ark:/12148/bpt6k5356580q
