Title: A View of Christmas Harbour in Kerguelen’s Land
Description: View of Christmas Harbour, Kerguelen Island. Resolution and Discovery at anchor.
In the foreground, penguins in groups, and a sea-lion. Two ships’ boats landing crew on the shore. Man stalking penguins.
Cook wrote: “I found the shore in a manner covered with Penguins and other birds and Seals…so fearless that we killed as ma(n)y as we chose for the sake of their fat or blubber to make Oil for our lamps and other uses… Here I display’d the British flag and named the harbour Christmas harbour as we entered it on that Festival” (Journals III, i, 29-32)
Engraving after drawing by John Webber in Cook/King (1784) pl.4, I, 62-7
Date: 25-30 December 1776 (published 1784)
Author: J.Webber del.(blhc), Newton sculp.(brhc)
Dimensions:
Collection: Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
Reference no:MIDDM.2003.1216d
Record no.:1216d03