Tahiti [Society Islands]. The Ravine of Fautaua - Crown or Diademe Mountain in the centre of the Island, and the town of Papeiti, Augt 24th...

Mounted in album with PAI4605-PAI4617, PAI4619-PAI4670.; No.13. Two sections stuck together. A fold-out panoramic drawing of Tahiti, on two joined sheets, the right one stuck down to the album page and captioned by the artist below the image, as title. The view is of the north-west aspect of the island, with Papeete below the central ravine and Fanshawe's 'Daphne' to the left. Fanshawe described the view as follows: 'On the 21st [August] at daylight we were four miles to windward [north-east] of the entrance of Papeiti harbour; we looked at the deep gorge that looks to Fautaua, and discloses the Crown Mountain (la Diademe), a perpendicular serrated rock in the middle of the island. The view as the sun throws all the ravines into light and shade is extremely beautiful. We got a French pilot and anchored at Papeiti before 10. Here is tropical scenery in its glory, bright green fringes on the sea-shore of cocoa-nut trees, bread fruit and oranges; the deepest blue sea outside the reefs and the most delicate green inside, separated by a line of brilliant white surf as far as the eye can reach on either side; the thatched high-pitched roofs and low whitewashed walls of the houses of the Europeans round the shore or peeping out from the cluster of trees, and the bold mountains rising behind, altogether form a scene beautiful indeed, and rendered cheerful by the groups of natives in their bright yellow and red garments' (Fanshawe [1904] p.195).This is one of a group of eleven Fanshawe drawings of the Society Islands, PAI4616 - PAI426: four show Tahiti (PAI4617 - PAI4620).
Edward Gennys Fanshawe

Original size: 198 mm x 649 mm