American Observing Station, Kerquelen Islands
1874/1875
Medium
pen and black ink with gray and black wash on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 18.5 × 28.3 cm (7 5/16 × 11 1/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
John Davis Hatch Collection
Accession Number
1979.20.88
Art Historical Context
In the remote, windswept Kerguelen Islands of southern Indian Ocean—often called the "Desolation Islands"—John Moran captured a pivotal moment of 19th-century scientific exploration his 1874/1875 drawing *American Observing Station, Kerelen Islands*. Moran, a skilled American artist from a prominent family of painters including his brother Thomas Moran, served as the official artist on the USS *Swatara* during the U.S. Naval Observatory's expedition to witness the rare Transit of Venus. This astronomical event, visible only from specific global sites, was crucial for refining measurements of t...
About the Artist
John Moran · 1821–1903
John Moran (1821–1903) was a British-born American landscape painter and photographer who became a significant figure in the artistic life of Philadelphia during the second half of the nineteenth century. Born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, he emigrated to the United States as a young man and settled in Philadelphia, where he became closely associated with one of the most remarkable artistic fami...