'New scenes drawn by the pencil of truth': Joseph Banks' northern voyage

Bonehill, J. (2014) 'New scenes drawn by the pencil of truth': Joseph Banks' northern voyage. Journal of Historical Geography, 43, pp. 9-27. (doi: 10.1016/j.jhg.2012.05.018)

Full text not currently available from Enlighten.

Abstract

In July 1772, the noted naturalist Joseph Banks embarked on an expedition to Iceland, by way of the Western Isles of Scotland on the outward voyage and the Orkneys on the return. This paper explores the roles of drawing in the production and circulation of knowledge during and in the aftermath of Banks' travels, with a particular focus on the depiction of the varied landscapes encountered and recorded. Drawings produced by Banks' draftsmen, John Cleveley and the brothers James and John Frederick Miller, together with the written accounts of others in the party, chart the physical and human geography of the places where the voyagers made landfall on this ‘Northern Journey’ as well as their rich cultural associations. These landscapes and their plants, peoples and structures, whether man-made or natural, were read or appreciated in various ways, not only as objects of aesthetic apprehension but terrains of philosophical and historical enquiry. This material is revealing not only of the way the islands of far north prompted enlightened enquiry but how they were, in turn, seen to be animated by the speculation they occasioned.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bonehill, Dr John
Authors: Bonehill, J.
Subjects:N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > History of Art
Journal Name:Journal of Historical Geography
Publisher:Elsevier Ltd.
ISSN:0305-7488
ISSN (Online):1095-8614
Published Online:25 June 2012

University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record