A young woman of Otaheite, dancing.

  • Translation

Article ID OZ0429

Title

A young woman of Otaheite, dancing.

Description

Illustration of a young woman in Tahiti doing "Tahitian" dance.

Year

ca. 1795

Artist

Sherwin

Historical Description

Tahiti was settled - like the other Society Islands - around 200 BC from Tonga and Samoa. It is not conclusively clear which European can be considered the "discoverer" of Tahiti. The Portuguese Pedro Fernández de Quirós sighted an inhabited island in 1606, which he called Sagittaria and which, according to some chroniclers, could have been Tahiti. However, there is no confirmation of this. Today, the Englishman Samuel Wallis is considered the first European to set foot on Tahiti in 1767. The visits of James Cook have remained in the consciousness of Europeans. In April 1769 he anchored with his ship Endeavour in Matavai Bay, about 10 km north of today's Papeete. Traveling with Cook was botanist Joseph Banks, who conducted extensive botanical studies during his three-month stay. His findings led to the fateful 1787 voyage of the Bounty to Tahiti, which was commissioned by the British Admiralty to William Bligh.

Place of Publication London
Dimensions (cm)24,5 x 18 cm
ConditionStains outer margins
Coloringcolored
TechniqueCopper print

Reproduction:

14.25 €

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