National Museum of Natural History
The Art of African Exploration
December 9, 2008 – August 16, 2009
African exploration enthralled the public in 19th-century Europe and America. But, unlike scientists today, who are armed with digital cameras to discover and record new species, early explorations before photography included an artist to create a visual record of the journey. In these cases are books, periodicals, sketchbooks, and journals featuring artists's vivid illustrations of the astonishing landscapes, exotic animals, and unfamiliar peoples of 19th-century Africa.
Highlights include:
- the cover of Henry Morgan Stanley's In Darkest Africa
- on-the-spot sketch of the Victoria Falls by Thomas Baines
- John Cary's New Universal Atlas
- drawing instruments by Griswald
- book by Samuel Daniell of African scenery and animals
Cigarette card: The World's Greatest Explorers: David Livingstone
