Artwork Information

The 1784 publication of Captain James Cook’s third voyage established the standard format for voyage of explorations: an official narrative account accompanied by an atlas of large-scale illustrations. The three French voyages to the Pacific of the 1820s and 1830s, starting with the Coquille 1822-25, adopted this model but with each journey improved on it by applying the latest innovations in print technology. The atlas of the Coquille’s voyage was published with full-colour illustrations, achieved through handcolouring the engravings, a novelty for a publication of this nature in the 1820s.

The eight illustrations of New Zealand resulted from two weeks spent in the Bay of Islands from 3 to 17 April 1824. They include named portraits of significant figures such as Tuai, a Ngare Raumati leader, and Hongi Hika, a Ngāpuhi chief. Memorable landscapes the crew visited are also included, such as the majestically named Waianiwaniwa (Rainbow) Falls near Kerikeri.

The figures are portrayed in a mixture of customary and Pākehā dress, reflecting the early exchange of clothes amongst many other items in trade. There is a Gallic swagger in the portraits of Tuai in particular (pl. 44 and 47), but the shako cap worn by Taiwhanga is also notable for the distinctive look it gives him (pl 46). At least three of the men portrayed had already travelled widely from New Zealand – Tuai and Hongi Hika as far as England; and Taiwhanga to Sydney. Their meetings with the French voyagers were part of a complex exchange in which all parties were active agents seeking to advance their own agenda.