On Captain James Cook’s Third Voyage of discovery, he was given orders to explore the Northwest Coast and Alaska and find if possible the elusive Northwest Passage. After a brief visit to the Society Islands (Tahiti) the Resolution and Discovery sailed northwards for Northwest America. No major discoveries were expected on this passage. The Spanish and others had crisscrossed the center of the Pacific numerous times and had found nothing. It was the wisdom of the day that islands were all to the south of the equator. With this in mind, its not hard to imagine the call from the masthead of "high land", at dawn of January 18th. 1778. This truly was a dawn of discovery.

The print shows HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery a few minutes after land has been sighted. The stern windows of the Resolution shows a light within as news is brought to Captain Cook of the discovery by the midshipman of the watch. And on the horizon is the island of Oahu. As the light improved, another island, Kauai also was seen. The Resolution and Discovery worked hard to close with the first island (Oahu), but wind and current made it slow going. Finally they bore away and made for the leaward island Kauai, reaching it on January 20th. 1778.

Signed and Numbered Edition of 110 giclee on canvas.

Image Size: 20" X 29.5" ; unf....$4000.00 (low inventory)