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Photo, Print, Drawing Active Passage, Saturna Group, Looking West.

About this Item

Title

  • Active Passage, Saturna Group, Looking West.

Summary

  • The Northwest Boundary Survey of 1857-61 was a joint U.S.-British project to survey the border between the United States and Canada from the crest of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Carried out jointly by American and British experts, it involved four years of strenuous work in rugged and heavily forested terrain. James Madison Alden (1834-1922) was a Massachusetts artist who, in 1854, enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked as a cartographer on a project to chart the California coast. In January 1858, Alden became the official artist of the Northwest Boundary Survey. Because of the Civil War and other complications, the American survey never published its final report, and much of its documentation was lost. Alden's watercolors, which reflect his sense of color and skill in handling the watercolor medium, are mainly what survived from the American side of the project. This painting shows a view toward Saturna Island, part of the Gulf Islands chain in British Columbia, Canada.

Names

  • Alden, James Madison, 1834-1922 Artist.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : Department of State, [1857 to 1862]

Headings

  • -  Canada--British Columbia
  • -  United States of America
  • -  1857 to 1862
  • -  Landscape painting
  • -  Saturna Island
  • -  Scientific surveys
  • -  Watercolor painting

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 watercolor painting.
  • -  Original resource at: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021669740

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Alden, James Madison, Artist. Active Passage, Saturna Group, Looking West. Canada British Columbia United States of America, 1857. [place of publication not identified: Department of State, to 1862] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669740/.

APA citation style:

Alden, J. M. (1857) Active Passage, Saturna Group, Looking West. Canada British Columbia United States of America, 1857. [place of publication not identified: Department of State, to 1862] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669740/.

MLA citation style:

Alden, James Madison, Artist. Active Passage, Saturna Group, Looking West. [place of publication not identified: Department of State, to 1862] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021669740/>.