Emile Lassalle’s lithograph after Ernest Goupil’s drawing, “English establishment at Port Essington”, c1840, and two early photographs from this region

Emile Lassalle (1813–71) lithographer of the drawing by Ernest Goupil (1814–41)

“English establishment at Port Essington” (Établissement Anglais a Port-Essington”), c1840, Plate 119, published by Gide, Paris, in "Atlas Pittoresque - Voyage au Pôle Sud et dans l'Océanie, sur les corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée, exécuté par ordre du Roi pendant les années 1837-1838-1839-1840 sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont d'Urville, capitaine de vaisseau", printed by Thierry Frères (fl1827-45) in Paris.

Two-colour lithograph on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 34.8 x 53.9 cm; (image borderline) 26 x 38.8 cm

Lettered outside the image borderline: (upper left) “VOYAGE AU PÔLE SUD ET DANS L'OCÉANIE”; (upper right) “ATLAS PITTORESQUE. PL 119”; (lower left) Dessiné par Goupil lith e per Emile Lassalle”.”; (lower centre in three lines) Gide Editeur. / ÉTABLISSEMENT ANGLAIS A PORT-ESSINGTON. / (Côte N. de l'Australie.)”; (lower right) “Lith. de Thierry freres, Paris.”

The State Library of South Australia offers the following description of this print:

“This image of Port Essington has a great deal of fine detail, illustrating specificities of the general flora and types of housing. The artist has included a figures in the mid-ground, perhaps to further indicate scale, which also contextualises the scene. To the far left three Indigenous people are pictured around a dead tree trunk, perhaps included as an indication of a general presence amongst white settling colony establishments of this type. Despite the subject matter being somewhat idealised in this work, the artist's technique is particularly accomplished and the work is a good point of reference for the era.” (http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+8964)

Condition: museum-quality, faultless impression in near pristine condition.

I am selling this exceptionally rare lithograph capturing the light and ruggedly beautiful setting one of the first British settlements destined to fail in the Northern Territory of Australia for the total cost of AU$460 (currently US$365.08/EUR306.85/GBP282.62 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this important historical print executed and published a few years before the settlement was officially disbanded on order of Governor CA Fitzroy in 1849, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

I really like this print as it captures the spirit of the Australian landscape perfectly. if someone were to ask me to explain why I see it that way, or if I were asked to describe just one critical feature that makes an Australian landscape different to any other, I would have to say: “An Aussie landscape needs to have trees with big lumps in them.” Certainly this large lithograph has a tree like that! The thing about the Australian landscape, however, is not just that there are distinctive trees with lumps on them—sometimes caused by termites, native bees or green ants building nests as big as footballs. More important than any particularities of the trees are the vistas that such trees frame: scenery of nothing in special where there is no distinctive centre–of–interest to be showcased. Just lots of endless sameness.

Leaving aside the essential ingredients for what constitutes the Australian Landscape—what is usually termed in the Australian vernacular as “the bush”—I thought that I might offer an insight into how the local culture has developed since this early settlement. The following quotes are GENUINE headlines extracted from the “NT News”:

“Why I stuck a cracker up my clacker”;

“Horny roo stalks NT women”;

“Catnappers shaved my pussy”;

“Best Man left bleeding after being hit in head by flying dildo”;

“Frog struck down by lightning”;

“Man arrested after cops spot suspiciously small package in his undies”;

“Bus driver bashed with watermelon”;

“Man stabbed with fish”

(see https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-seven-best-nt-news-front-pages?utm_term=.hfqJwlEAY#.xgKbpwKZ3

In short, the Northern Territory of Australia is a very special place.

Two original early photographs taken in Northern Territory, Australia. One is inscribed in pencil with the notation “Near Darwin”

Photographs printed on heavy card

Size: (sheet) 16.5 x 10.8 cm; (image) 13.4 x 9.3 cm

I am selling this pair of original early photographs for the total cost of AU$110 (currently US$87.24/EUR73.28/GBP67.51 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing these historical interesting photographs, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This pair of photographs has been sold