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Robinson Crusoe carrying away on his raft the most useful remains of the wreck
Robinson Crusoe carrying away on his raft the most useful remains of the wreck

Robinson Crusoe carrying away on his raft the most useful remains of the wreck

Designer
Publisher (1763-1830)
Datec 1783
Object number00038272
NameEngraving
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 155 x 267 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis engraving is from the set ‘Twelve Prints representing the Surprising Events in the Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe’, published by Bowles & Carver in 1783. The engravings depict Daniel Defoe's fictional story of Robinson Crusoe – based on the real life adventures of Alexander Selkirk. In Carrington Bowles's 1784 catalogue, the prints are described as elegant and rich in design, and 'exceed all others ever published on that subject'. The third in the set, this print illustrates Robinson Crusoe salvaging the useful items from the wreck, and transporting them to shore on a raft. The original design for the engraving by Daniel Dodd is also held in the museum's collection (00038279).HistoryDaniel Defoe's novel was first published in 1719 under the long title 'The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pirates.' It was a bestseller and since then, the novel has never been out of print. Crusoe's character is widely accepted to have been based on Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who was abandoned on the Isla Más Afuera in the Juan Fernández Islands near Chile, from 1704 to 1709. Selkirk was eventually found by the English explorer and privateer William Dampier along with Captain Woodes Rogers sailing on board the DUKE. Their meeting was later described in Rogers' work, 'A Cruising Voyage Round the World' published in 1712. The few insights Rogers provides in his accounts reveal interesting clues about Selkirk's experience on the island. Selkirk sailed on the English galley, CINQUE PORTS, under Captain Thomas Stradling. Convinced that the vessel was not seaworthy he attempted to persuade his shipmates to stay with him on the uninhabited island. Though unsuccessful in his efforts, after he was abandoned Selkirk went on to prove a resourceful survivor, much like his literary counterpart. This is confirmed by Rogers' assessment of the situation: '...whatever there is in these Stories, this of Mr. Selkirk I know to be true; and his Behaviour afterwards gives me reason to believe the Account he gave me how he spent his time, and bore up under such an Affliction, in which nothing but the Divine Providence could have supported any Man…Necessity is the Mother of Invention, since he found means to supply his Wants in a very natural manner, so as to maintain his Life….' Like Crusoe, Selkirk is seen as a lucky survivor and a prime example of the adaptable castaway. Ironically, CINQUE PORTS foundered after Selkirk's marooning. As Rogers concludes, 'one may see that Solitude and Retirement from the World is not such an unsufferable State of Life as most Men imagine, especially when People are fairly call’d or thrown into it unavoidably, as this Man was; who in all probability must otherwise have perish’d in the Seas, the Ship which left him being cast away not long after.' It is clear from Rogers' language that Selkirk was held in high esteem. Much in the same way that Crusoe is revered for his survival skills, Selkirk is praised for his actions as he hunted goats and presented them to Rogers' sick crew. This admiration is further evidenced by Selkirk's assigned status as 'The Governor', though Rogers felt they ‘might as well have nam’d him the Absolute Monarch of the Island’. Aside from the surface parallels between Selkirk and Crusoe's isolation, the recurring theme of survival and the castaway as a state of being seems to have been the main source of fascination for 18th and 19th century observers. This engraving stands as a lasting testament to this cultural obsession with Defoe's narrative of survival and the terror of the unknown.SignificanceThis collection of original drawings and engravings 'The Surprising Events in the Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe’ connects with the real-life story of castaway Alexander Selkirk, who joined William Dampier's privateering expedition in 1703. The images demonstrate the instant cultural appeal behind Defoe's story of shipwreck, isolation and personal salvation.