Catalog Archive
Auction 208, Lot 242

"Vues des Iles Sandwich et Autres Iles", Vancouver, George (Capt)

Subject: Hawaii

Period: 1799 (circa)

Publication: Voyage de Decouvertes a l'Ocean Pacifique du Nord

Color: Black & White

Size:
20.3 x 14.9 inches
51.6 x 37.8 cm
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This finely engraved sheet presents a series of six coastal profiles of Hawaii, issued in a French edition of Vancouver’s Voyage of Discovery. The approach views depict Whytetee (Waikiki), Atooi (Kauai), the coast of Rahina (Lahaina, Maui), Mowee (Maui), Owhyhee (Hawaii), and a distant view of Albemarle in the Galapagos. These engravings illustrate the rugged volcanic topography of the islands, with sharply rendered ridges, deep valleys, and prominent coastal cliffs. Each view is annotated with bearings and distances, reflecting their practical use at sea. These profiles offer an early and remarkably accurate European visual record of the Hawaiian Islands, produced at a time when the archipelago was still largely unfamiliar to Western navigators.

References:

Condition: A

A crisp impression on a bright sheet. There are a few small spots in the top border and a single wormhole adjacent to the right border.

Estimate: $400 - $475

Sold for: $300

Closed on 4/22/2026

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