'Bora bora [Society Islands], from a ruined native fort above the chief village on the East side of the island, Septr 5th 1849'

No. 21 in Fanshawe's Pacific album, 1849 - 52. Captioned by the artist on the album page below the image, as title. Fanshawe's view appears to be looking east across Vairou Bay towards the wooded outer reef of Bora Bora, from high ground below a peak (? Mount Otemanu) on the right. The 'chief village' mentioned is Vairou on the bay below.

Fanshawe and others had set out at 5.30 a.m. in the morning to sail round the island in his gig. Having encountered the chief from Vairou in a canoe at sea, they called there prior to making this climb: 'We procured a guide, and after a steep pull for a mile and a half through a forest of guava, hibiscus and "Tahitian chestnut" we reached the pah [fort], a ruin partly stone, partly stockade, and overgrown with guava. We had a good view of the different shades and colours of the sea inside and outside the reefs' (Fanshawe [1904] p.212). See also PAI4626 for details of the island. This is one of a group of 11 Fanshawe drawings of the Society Islands, PAI4616 - PAI427, made while he commanded the 'Daphne' in the Pacific: three are of Bora Bora (PAI4625 - PAI4627).

Object Details

ID: PAI4626
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Fanshawe, Edward Gennys
Places: Bora Bora
Date made: 5 Sep 1849
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Sheet: 190 x 320 mm
Parts: Album of watercolours of Madeira, Brazil, the Falkland and Pacific Islands, Chile, Panama, Mexico, Vancouver, and California (Album)