Lot 224: Lieutenant William Smyth (Irish, 1800-1877) 'Natives of Elson's Bay' near Point Barrow, Alaska each unframed

'Natives of Elson's Bay' near Point Barrow, Alaska
inscribed 'NATIVES OF ELSON'S BAY' (lower centre), 'Drawn by Wm. Smyth' (lower left) and 'HMS Blossom Aug.t 1826' (lower right)
pen and ink and watercolour heightened with bodycolour
15 x 22.5cm (5 7/8 x 8 7/8in).each
unframed
together with two other watercolours from the same voyage by the same hand (3)

Officer and artist Smyth entered the Royal Navy in April 1813. He served as a passed midshipman and mate on HMS Blossom under Frederick William Beechey (1796-1856) in the Pacific, 1825-28, until commissioned lieutenant on the voyage in May 1827. Nine of his watercolours illustrate Beechey's official account, Narrative of A Voyage To The Pacific And Beering's Strait, To Co-Operate With The Polar Expeditions Performed In His Majesty's Ship Blossom, Under The Command Of Captain F. W. Beechey, R. N. In The Years 1825, 26, 27, 28 (Philadelphia, 1832).

Beechey's task was to explore the Bering Strait in concert with Franklin and Parry, who were operating from the east. They explored as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska, the furthest point into the Arctic any non-Inuit had been at the time:

"I named it Point Barrow to mark the progress of northern discovery on each side the American continent which has been so perseveringly advocated by that distinguished member of our naval administration [Sir John Barrow (1764-1848)]...The bay which appeared to be formed to the eastward of this point I named Elson's Bay, in compliment to the officer in command of the barge." (Beechey, 1832, p.258)

In his account, Beechey published Smyth's log of this event, including his description of the natives they encountered there:

"Wednesday, 23rd Aug...The natives, on seeing us anchor, came down opposite the boat in great numbers, but seemed very doubtful whether to treat us as friends or enemies...These people were clothed like the Esquimaux we had seen on the other parts of the coast: their implements were also the same, except that we thought they were more particular in constructing the bow, the spring of which was strengthened with whalebone.

"Many of the men wore, as lip ornaments, slabs of bone and stone in an oblong shape, about three inches in length and one in breadth. They were much more daring than any people we had before seen, and attempted many thefts in the most open manner." (Smyth as published in Beechey, p.263-4)