Printing Matrices for "Narrative of the U.S. Exploring Expedition"

In 1836 the U.S. Congress authorized President Andrew Jackson "to send out a surveying and exploring expedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas." The U.S. Exploring Expedition's Narrative . . . (Vols. I-V) was written to follow the path of the three-year and ten-month expedition (1838–1842), which traveled from Norfolk, Virginia, east to the islands off the coast of Portugal, around the tip of South America to Antarctica, and then up the west coast of South America. During the rest of the expedition, either Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, the commander, or parts of his squadron traveled to Australia and New Zealand, the South Pacific islands, the Philippines, Singapore, Hawaii, and North America's West Coast. Expedition members included scientists and artists who illustrated the people encountered, the narrative scenery, the cartographic studies, and the specimens collected.

The five Narrative volumes were published in 1844. Of the accompanying scientific volumes VI–XXIV, fourteen were published between 1844 and 1874. The remaining five were never officially distributed.

The printing matrices—either engraved plates and blocks or lithographic stones—used to print the Narrative of the U.S. Exploring Expedition and its accompanying volumes are housed in the Graphic Arts Collection of the National Museum of American History. This collection includes 309 engraved wood blocks, 133 engraved copper and steel-faced plates, with an additional presentation card plate, and 19 lithographic stones.

 

This engraved printing plate was prepared to print the image "Fungi" for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, Volume 17, 1874, Botany Cryptogamia ... of the Pacific Coast of North America.
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print the image "Fungi" for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, Volume 17, 1874, Botany Cryptogamia ... of the Pacific Coast of North America. The plate images were engraved by B. Hinshelwood after W. S. Sullivant.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1862
date made
1874
Associated Name
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Dougal, W. H.
graphic artist
Dougal, W. H.
printer
Sherman, C.
author
Torrey, John
ID Number
1999.0145.434
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.434
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Diagram of a Section of the Survey of the Columbia River by the U.S. Ex.
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Diagram of a Section of the Survey of the Columbia River by the U.S. Ex. Ex." for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842," Volume 23, Hydrography, following page 6, in the edition Philadelphia : C. Sherman , 1861. The engraving was prepared by W. H. Dougal.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1861
Associated Name
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Wilkes, Charles
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Sherman, C.
author
Wilkes, Charles
Maker
Gaskill
ID Number
1999.0145.438
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.438
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Map of the World Showing The Extent and Direction of the Wind and the Route to be Folloed in a Circumnavigation of the Globe" for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Map of the World Showing The Extent and Direction of the Wind and the Route to be Folloed in a Circumnavigation of the Globe" for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842," Volume 23, Hydrography," in the edition Philadelphia : C. Sherman , 1851. The engraving was prepared by W. H. Dougal after F. D. Stuart.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1849
1861
Associated Name
Wilkes, Charles
author
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Stuart, F. D.
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
printer
Sherman, C.
maker
Rock, William B.
ID Number
1999.0145.460
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.460
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Diagram of a Triangulation of the Yiti Group or Feejee Islands by the U.S. Ex.
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image of "Diagram of a Triangulation of the Yiti Group or Feejee Islands by the U.S. Ex. Ex." for the publication "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842," Volume 23, Hydrography, preceding page 7, in the edition Philadelphia : C. Sherman , 1861. The engraving was prepared by W. H. Dougal.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1861
Associated Name
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Wilkes, Charles
graphic artist
Dougal, W. H.
printer
Sherman, C.
author
Wilkes, Charles
ID Number
1999.0145.439
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.439
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image showing four fish species in the never published Volume 21-22, Ichthyology, part of the series of publications the "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842." The plate images wer
Description (Brief)
This engraved printing plate was prepared to print an image showing four fish species in the never published Volume 21-22, Ichthyology, part of the series of publications the "United States Exploring Expedition, During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842." The plate images were engraved by W. H. Dougal after Joseph Drayton.
Description
William H. Dougal (1822–1895) of New York and Washington, D.C., (after 1844) engraved this copper printing plate depicting four species of fish documented by the U.S. Exploring Expedition. The illustrations were to be published in Volumes XXII and XXIII, Ichthyology, by Louis Agassiz. Dougal engraved 26 of the 28 plates for this volume which was never printed.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1849
1862
publisher
Wilkes, Charles
original artist
Drayton, Joseph
graphic artist
Dougal, William H.
author
Agassiz, Louis
ID Number
1999.0145.435
accession number
1999.0145
catalog number
1999.0145.435

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