Louis Choris 1810s

Introduction

As Russia expanded their colony in Alaska, they also sought to explore for a Northwest Passage through Alaska's waters. In 1815, 30 years after Captain Cook's Third Voyage, the Russian captain Kotzebue led an expedition to explore Western Alaska and beyond the Bering Strait. Like Cook, Kotzebue brought along an expedition artist to document the people and lands encountered on the journey. This artist was a young art student, 20 year old Louis Choris.

Choris sought to "paint nature as he found it" to accurately document the people and cultures he encountered. Below are selections of his paintings of the people and culture of the Aleutian Islands and Western Alaska. I would suggest selecting full screen viewing for the presentation.