Aaukwaht, Nootka Sound, San Lorenzo de Nuca: Visual Cultures at the Northernmost Frontier of New Spain

At the close of the eighteenth century, the Island of Nootka was the economic center of the broader Territory of Nootka, which encompassed present-day Nootka, Vancouver, and Flores Islands, as well as the southern half of British Columbia. Hispanic ships first arrived at Nootka in 1774, and it was later studied during James Cook’s 1778 expedition to the Pacific Northwest, which included visual documentation by artist John Webber. Further naturalistic and ethnographic images were produced in 1791 during Alessandro Malaspina’s stay in the region, notably by artists José Cardero and Tomás de Suría. José Mariano Mociño and painter Atanasio Echeverría also studied the island as part of the Royal Botanical Expedition to New Spain in 1792. This presentation examines selected works from the visual archive of “Enlightenment Nootka,” in which multiple artists, working both collaboratively and independently, produced scientific illustrations of the island. Despite the distinct scientific, imperial, and national contexts in which they were created, images by British and Hispanic artists reveal notable commonalities and collaborations.