"... It Was Highly Desirable They Should Be Illustrated" Images from the US Navy Astronomical Expedition in Chile (1849-1852)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the images included in the report made by the u.s. Navy Astronomical Expedition in the Southern Hemisphere between 1849 and 1852, directed by Navy lieutenant and astronomer James Melville Gilliss (1881-1865). Together with astronomical studies, the expedition addressed different aspects of the natural and social history of the Republic of Chile setting down in six volumes a pioneering panoramic vision of the young nation. Considering the different aspects of the culture of printing as it developed in the main cities of the United States in the mid nineteenth century, this article proposes general reflections concerning the impetus given in this field by scientific expeditions. In the specific case of Gilliss's Naval Astronomical Expedition, this impulse manifests itself in terms of the technological renewal and the prestige of the lithographers taking part in the publication. This contrasts with the subsequent scarce success of Gilliss's volumes - the books came close to being ignored - both in the United States and in Chile. Keywords. Author Keywords:US Navy Astronomical Expedition to the Southern Hemisphere; science networks; print culture