| |
16.5 x 22.5 in. acrylic on paper
|
|
Imperial Eagle
At 400 tons she was large for the fur trade
and according to the captain's wife, Francis Barkley, the
"Imperial Eagle" with so many guns mounted, and
with such a sizable crew had the appearance of a war ship.
In this profile view, she is flying the
Austrian flag having been invited to enter the fur trade by
the Austrian counsel. The "Imperial Eagle" sailed
from Ostend, Belgium in November of 1786 and after rounding
Cape Horn sailed north and arrived off the island of Hawaii
in mid May of 1787.
While sailing off Oahu's west coast, Mrs.
Barkley invited a Hawaiian women named Wi'ne'e to travel with
her to the Northwest and later to China. Wi'ne'e, the first
Hawaiian to see the outside world, died en route back to the
islands.
|
|
