Prince William Sound Alaska Indigenous Family, Antique Costume Print, c.1805

€ 190

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1805
Sheet size: 22.3 × 13.6 cm (8.8 × 5.4 in)
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-14302-4

What the condition grades mean

Excellent: Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good: Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good: Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair: Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.

Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.

Condition

Hand-colored print with light age toning and scattered foxing. Small marginal stains and minor edge wear. Lower left margin with a small edge loss not affecting the image. Overall well preserved.

About this sheet

Inhabitants of Prince William Sound, Alaska, an original hand-colored engraving of about 1805, drawn by J. Kuyper ("J. Kuyper del.") and engraved by L. Portman ("L. Portman sculp."). The Dutch caption beneath the image reads "Bewooners van de Prins Willems-Baai" (inhabitants of Prince William Sound).

The group stands in a snowy foreground with mountains and a stand of pines behind. A man at the right wears a heavy fringed fur parka, boots and a woven conical hat, and holds a long spear. At the left a woman sits in a light robe with fur trim and a necklace, holding a hoop-shaped object, with a child seated in her lap, and a small basket holding colored objects lies at her feet. The faces and clothing are tinted by hand over the engraved lines.

The plate is part of a Dutch series that presented the peoples met on the voyages of exploration to European readers.