A striking and very early scene in Antarctic waters, made on board a transport ship in 1816. Battered and torn, this image is nonetheless a remarkable one, redolent of its age, drawn by a highly experienced veteran of the Australian and Indian runs. Although often sighted by eastward-bound ships, especially those en route to Australia, few took the time to make such a detailed view of this windswept outpost.
Now part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, the Île Amsterdam owes its name to Tasman’s patron Anthony Van Diemen, who named it after sighting it on his ship the Nieuw Amsterdam in 1633. The earliest recorded landfall was actually made by Willem de Vlamingh in 1696, during his famous voyage to western Australia in search of survivors of the Ridderschap van Holland.
Despite long being charted for its significant position midway between the Cape and New Holland, and not uncommonly seen by ships transiting the Indian Ocean, landing was difficult and the coastline inhospitable, meaning that its main use was as a de facto sealing base until it was belatedly claimed by the French in 1843.
Pierson’s view not only has the very full caption on the front, but a smaller piece of paper on the verso which adds: “Island of Amsterdam. 4 mils. long and two Broad. Latt. 37”51 S Long 77”48 E in the Indian Ocean.” The reading is very accurate indeed.
Pierson was an East Indies skipper who was in Australia with the Cochin in July 1815 (although his name is more commonly printed in the Sydney newspapers as ‘Pearson’). After successfully bringing the Cochin down under, Pierson rather disappears from view and it is not clear on which ship he was sailing the following year: the most logical explanation is that when he left India he took passage on another vessel for the voyage home, but more remains to be discovered. Certainly he not only displays an accurate topographic ability (the great sloping flank of the island and the craggy cliffs on the western shore are still immediately recogniseable) but was also diligent with his observations.
