Article ID: CBB001450332

“To Do the Cape”: Samuel Daniell's Representation of African Peoples during the First British Occupation of the Cape (2014)

unapi

Godby, Michael (Author)


Journal of Historical Geography
Volume: 43
Pages: 28--38


Publication Date: 2014
Edition Details: Part of a special feature: The Art of Travel and Exploration.
Language: English

Samuel Daniell's African Scenery and Animals of 1804--5 is justly celebrated in the literature of art history as one of the most beautiful accounts of African life of any time, but has been rather neglected by other historians. This paper considers how this major project is likely to have taken shape, situating it in the context of the first British occupation of the Cape in order to reveal the ideological dimensions of his representation of African peoples. The paper argues that Daniell's visit to the Cape from 1799 to 1803 is likely to have been inspired by his relatives', William and Thomas Daniell's work in India, notably their Oriental Scenery of 1795--8, and that his view of Southern Africa developed as he travelled through the sub-continent in the company of British officials. At a time before Britain had any formal colonial ambitions at the Cape, its officials developed distinct images of the three main population groups occupying the territory -- the Dutch colonists (the `Boors'), the Xhosa (so-called `Kaffers') beyond the borders, and the Khoisan (so-called `Hottentots' and `Bushmen') whose fortunes contrasted strongly whether they lived inside the colony, in conditions of slavery on Boer farms, or outside the colony in a state of freedom. Daniell gave visual form to these images, notably through the classical language of art, and so expressed the turmoil on the frontier as a contest between the Enlightenment terms of lib120erty and oppression.

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Article Quilley, Geoff (2014) Introduction: Mapping the Art of Travel and Exploration. Journal of Historical Geography (p. 2). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001450332/

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Authors & Contributors
Sparks, Randy J.
Willoughby, Christopher D. E.
Jenkins, Bill
Blanckaert, Claude
Wood, Marcus
Winearls, Joan
Concepts
Science and race
Race
Natural history
Visual representation; visual communication
Great Britain, colonies
Colonialism
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
18th century
Renaissance
20th century, late
20th century, early
Places
Africa
United States
South Africa
Italy
Australia
India
Institutions
British Museum
Great Britain. Royal Navy
University of Edinburgh
Dutch East India Company
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