Images of Cook's second voyage: William Hodges

The images below come from a collection of drawings, paintings and sketches held in the Mitchell Library. Most are by William Hodges, official artist aboard the Resolution, and Henry Roberts who sailed with Cook on his second expedition to the Southern Ocean from 1772 - 1775. The album was once owned by Cook's widow, Elizabeth. The pictures document the people and landscapes the expedition encountered - from tropical Tahiti to the stark icebergs of the Antarctic. The very still, dramatic images belie the inherent danger of exploring in such high Antarctic latitudes, and dispel the perception of Pacific voyages as only journeys to idyllic paradises.

 > View more original drawings of Cook's 2nd voyage by William Hodges and others, via the Library's catalogue

 > View Cook's Second Voyage Atlas, 1777, via the Library's catalogue

 > View the Stern Plate from the Resolution, via the Library's catalogue