Alexander Buchan (artist)

Alexander Buchan (died 17 April 1769) was the Scottish landscape artist aboard HMS Endeavour on James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific in 1768, having been appointed to the position by Joseph Banks. [1] His best-known works are his illustrations of the people of western Tierra del Fuego, made during a stopover at the Bay of Success.[1] Banks recorded in his journal that Buchan suffered from an epileptic seizure.[1] He died at Matavai Bay on 17 April 1769, and was buried at sea.[1]

A view of the Endeavour's watering place in the Bay of Good Success, Tierra del Fuego, with natives. Alexander Buchan

Following his death, Banks took possession of all his drawings. Nearly all of these are now in the British Library, except for several illustrations of south Atlantic marine life held by the Natural History Museum. All surviving works are fully catalogued in The art of Captain Cook's voyages[2] by Rüdiger Joppien and Bernard Smith.[1]

References
  1. "Buchan, Alexander (? – 1769)". South Seas Companion. National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  2. Joppien, Rüdiger; Smith, Bernard (1985), The art of Captain Cook's voyages, Oxford University Press in association with the Australian Academy of the Humanities, ISBN 978-0-19-554893-8


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