||This engraving after a drawing by John Webber comes from the official account of Cook's third voyage, 'A voyage to the Pacific Ocean', published by Scatcherd and Whitaker in 1784.
Captain James Cook (1728-1779) made three separate voyages to the Pacific (with the ships Endeavour, Resolution, Adventure, and Discovery) and did more than any other voyager to explore the Pacific and Southern Ocean. Cook not only encountered Pacific cultures for the first time, but also assembled the first large-scale collections of Pacific objects to be brought back to Europe. He was killed in Hawaii in 1779.
John Webber was the artist on Cook’s third voyage from 1776-1780.
The Resolution and the Discovery visited Avacha Bay, Kamchatka between 29 April to 16 June 1779. Many of the drawings from this period show snowy scenes, especially of the town and harbour of St Peter and St Paul.
This engraving depicts Webber’s visit to Boltsheretsk, which occurred between 12-16 May 1779. There are Kamchatka houses with a man and a woman and child and a dog.
King mentions the village in the journal: ‘we employ’d the afternoon in seeing the town & Country; the Country for many miles about is a low swamp…The Earth was in most parts cover’d with snow. We saw I suppose 20 or 30 Milch Cows & the Major [Behm] had 6 stout horses, all of which were in good Case; These & the dogs are the only domestic animals… the houses are all after one fashion, that is built of logs & thatch’d.’
Mounted in album with PAI4078-PAI4201, PAI4203-PAI4214.; Page 246.; Plate No. 72.