Vanadis expedition

Last updated
Vanadis expedition
Vanadis expedition map.jpg
Map showing the Vanadis expedition.
Native name Vanadis världsomsegling 1883–85
DateDecember 5, 1883 – May 9, 1885 (1883-12-05 1885-05-09)
MotiveTraining mission, promote Swedish maritime and trade
Organised byUnited kingdoms of Sweden and Norway

The Vanadis expedition was a sailing expedition around the world with the frigate Vanadis visiting South America, Oceania, Asia, and Europe. It took place between 1883 and 1885 and was commissioned by the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. The expedition was of a military, economic, diplomatic, and scientific nature. It was partly a training mission and partly to promote Swedish maritime and trade. Captain of the ship was Otto Lagerberg. Other participants were Crown Prince Oscar, meteorologist Gottfrid Fineman and physician and marine biologist Dr. Karl Rudberg along with more than 300 officers and sailors. On board was also the Swedish archaeologist and ethnographer Hjalmar Stolpe who during land excursions collected 7,500 cultural specimens for an intended ethnographical museum in Sweden. The objects were acquired/purchased from indigenous and Western residents in all places Vanadis stopped. Stolpe was accompanied by photographer Oscar Ekholm which resulted in about 700 pictures.

Contents

Start

Vanadis left Karlskrona on 5 December 1883. Last stop in Europe was Lisbon in Portugal which they reached on 23 December.

South America

Hjalmar Stolpe during the excavations in Ancon, Peru. Hjalmar Stolpe i Ancon, Peru.jpg
Hjalmar Stolpe during the excavations in Ancon, Peru.

On January 23 Vanadis reached Rio de Janeiro. After Brazil the ship continued south to Punta Arenas, Borja Bay, Colombine cove (Newton Island), Molyneux Sound and Green Harbour. On the third of April 1884 Vanadis arrived to Callao, a port town 10 km from Lima, During the time Vanadis visited Lima, Hjalmar Stolpe did excavations at the archaeological site in Ancon. Numerous items at the Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm, are listed as having provenance Ancón. These include five mummies with grave goods, along with surface-collected textiles. This material along with purchases of artifacts Stolpe made in Peru were shipped back to Stockholm.

Vanadis approaching Jaluit in 1884. Painting by Jacob Hagg. Vanadis under insegling till on Jaluit i Soderhavet 1884.jpg
Vanadis approaching Jaluit in 1884. Painting by Jacob Hägg.

The Pacific

Between May and August 1884 Vanadis called at several locations in the Pacific Islands. On May 8–12 they reached the first port, Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands and next stop was Fakarava in the Tuamotu Islands (15–17 May). Tahiti in the Society Islands was next island and here they stopped for almost two weeks (19 May – 2 June), followed by Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands (20 June – 10 July). Captain Lagerberg and the Prince made a visit at the palace and king Kalakaua visited the ship three days later. The prince and a few companions also made a private visit to see Kilauea volcano. [1] Last stop in the Pacific was Jaluit in the Marshall Islands (26 July - 2 August).

Japan and Hong Kong (26 August - 29 October)

After 3 weeks at sea Vanadis arrived to Japan and first stop was Yokohama. It was time to look through the ship and make sure it was alright. There was also time for a very short audition at emperor Meiji in Tokyo. During their time in Japan they also experienced a very severe typhoon.

Philippines (1–6 November)

When Vanadis got to Manila, the reception was overwhelming. At the time the Philippines was part of the Spanish Empire and the Spanish governor wanted to make an impression on the Swedish Crown Prince. And he succeeded, Crown Prince Oscar was surprised by all the dinners, parties, excursions, flags and decorations in Swedish colours and fireworks that was arranged for them. [2]

Hjalmar Stolpe wanted to use the time to collect ethnographica from the locals. He hired a boat but after just a few hours at sea there was technical problems and they were forced back to land close to the village Cabeaben in the Mariveles mountains. Here they met people and Ekholm took about 20 photographs [3] and Stolpe documented tattoos and managed to get hold of 80 objects, [4] most of them from the boat trip to Mariveles. [2]

Bangkok (17-22 November)

Ten days after Vanadis left Manila they reached Bangkok in Siam (Thailand). They were met by the royal ship HMS Vesatri and the Swedes went over to Vesatri where they were welcomed by the ship's Danish captain Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu and his younger brother Lieutenant Louis du Plessis de Richelieu. The voyage into Bangkok went past what the crew experienced as very exotic landscapes and then up the Chao Phraya River. On board lunch was served with the entertainment of a forty-strong orchestra and after five hours moored the yacht at the Grand Palace. By then it had already become dark.

The company received a warm reception from Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse, who made wagons available to them, and they were driven to the Prince's Palace (Saranrom) where most of them would spend the night.

The most important event was the audience with the king, Chulalongkorn. Commander Otto Lagerberg, Prince Oscar and the other officers received an invitation and after the usual honors, there was entertainment and display of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo. [5] [6]

The visit was only a few days but during this time Stolpe managed to collect a collection through gifts from officials they met but also through buying every day objects at the bazaars.

Singapore (28 November – 3 December)

Vanadis reached Singapore on 28 November. This was a relatively short stop. Ekholm managed to take several portraits of various people from the area and Stolpe met Wilhelm von Malein, a Russian who spoke Swedish. With the help of Malein Stolpe bought objects that originated from Java, Borneo and Malacca. [7]

India (16 December 1884 – February 1885)

Unfortunately, there was a clash of characters between Hjalmar Stolpe, the expedition ethnographer, and the ship's captain, Otto Lagerberg, and when the Vanadis reached Calcutta in December 1884, Stolpe left the expedition, arranged for permits to travel through northern India and Kashmir for three months, and made his own arrangements for the return trip to Sweden. During his time in India Stolpe collected many ethnographical objects with the aim of providing ‘a far richer picture of the northern Indian people’s way of life and cultural position’.

Africa (February–March 1885)

On their way from India Vanadis stopped at Aden, Jemen. Svante Natt och Dag tells in his book about Aden that "all there is to say is that we arrived, stopped and left". [8] On 20 February 1885, the ship entered Massawa, Eritrea. Here they saw Italian soldiers and they also met Swedish missionaries and visited their missionary station. [9] The missionaries also visited Vanadis and had lunch on the ship and on 25 February they left Massawa. [10] In the beginning of March they reached Suez Canal and Port Said, Egypt. Next stop was Alexandria on the 11th. Svante Natt och Dag tells in his book about a trip to Kairo and the pyramids that a little group from the ship did the next day, amongst others the Crown Prince, Captain Lagerberg and Oscar von Heidenstam who was Swedish consul-general in Alexandria at the time. During this trip they also visited the khedive of Egypt, Tewfik Pasha.

Malta and Sweden (March–May 1885)

On 24 March Vanadis anchored at Valetta, Malta. Here they met consul-general Olof Fredrik Gollcher who arranged for the Crown Prince and a few others to visit the theatre. [11] After four days at Malta Vanadis continued towards Gibraltar which they reached on 11 April. Last stop on their way before Stockholm was Karlskrona and on the 9th of May Vanadis anchored in Stockholm.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustaf V</span> King of Sweden from 1907 to 1950

Gustaf V was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Reigning from the death of his father Oscar II in 1907 to his own death nearly 43 years later, he holds the record of being the oldest monarch of Sweden with the third-longest reign after Magnus IV (1319–1364) and Carl XVI Gustaf (1973–present). He was also the last Swedish monarch to exercise his royal prerogatives, which largely died with him, although they were formally abolished only with the remaking of the Swedish constitution in 1974. He was the first Swedish king since the High Middle Ages not to have a coronation and so never wore the king's crown, a practice that has continued ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sten Sture the Elder</span> Regent of Sweden 1470–97 and 1501–03

Sten Sture the Elder was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from 1470–1497 and 1501–1503. As the leader of the victorious Swedish separatist forces against the royal unionist forces during the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471, he weakened the Kalmar Union considerably and became the effective ruler of Sweden as Lord Regent for most of his remaining life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sture</span> Swedish noble family

Sture was a name borne by three distinct but interrelated noble families in Sweden in the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. It was originally a nickname, meaning 'haughty, proud', but later became a surname. Particularly famous are the three regents from these families who ruled Sweden in succession during the fifty-year period between 1470 and 1520, namely:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Bernadotte</span> Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg

Prince Oscar Carl August Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg was a Swedish religious activist, the second son of King Oscar II of Sweden and his consort, Sofia of Nassau. Born as a Prince of Sweden and Norway, he was known as Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland. However, by marrying contrary to Swedish constitutional requirements, he lost those titles, becoming instead Luxembourgish nobility as Prince Bernadotte and Count of Wisborg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland</span>

Prince Charles Philip of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, (Swedish: Carl Filip; Reval 22 April 1601 – Narva, 25 January 1622) was a Swedish prince, Duke of Södermanland, Närke and Värmland. Charles Philip was the second surviving son of King Charles IX of Sweden and his second spouse, Duchess Christina of Holstein-Gottorp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephine of Leuchtenberg</span> Queen of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859

Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, also Josefina, was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 to 8 July 1859 as the wife of King Oscar I. She was also Princess of Bologna from birth and Duchess of Galliera from 1813. She was regarded as politically active during the reign of her spouse and acted as his political adviser, actively participating in government affairs. She is acknowledged as having introduced more liberal laws regarding religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustaf Retzius</span> Swedish histologist (1842–1919)

Prof Magnus GustafRetzius FRSFor HFRSE MSA was a Swedish physician and anatomist who dedicated a large part of his life to researching the histology of the sense organs and nervous system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilie Högquist</span> Swedish actress

Emilie Sophie Högquist or Högqvist was a Swedish stage actress. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and has been referred to as the first celebrity within Swedish drama and known as the Swedish Aspasia, both for her artistic ability but also for the literary salon she hosted. She is also known in history for her love affair with King Oscar I of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition</span> Failed attempt to reach the North Pole by balloon

Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 was a failed Swedish effort to reach the North Pole, resulting in the deaths of all three expedition members, S. A. Andrée, Knut Frænkel, and Nils Strindberg. Andrée, the first Swedish balloonist, proposed a voyage by hydrogen balloon from Svalbard to either Russia or Canada, which was to pass, with luck, straight over the North Pole on the way. The scheme was received with patriotic enthusiasm in Sweden, a northern nation that had fallen behind in the race for the North Pole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knut Frænkel</span> Swedish engineer and arctic explorer

Knut Hjalmar Ferdinand Frænkel was a Swedish engineer and arctic explorer who perished in the Arctic balloon expedition of 1897 of S. A. Andrée in 1897.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nils Gustaf Ekholm</span>

Nils Gustaf Ekholm was a Swedish meteorologist who led a Swedish geophysical expedition to Spitsbergen in 1882–1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Ethnography, Sweden</span> Museum in Stockholm, Sweden

The Museum of Ethnography, in Stockholm, Sweden, is a Swedish science museum. It houses a collection of about 220,000 items relating to the ethnography, or cultural anthropology, of peoples from around the world, including from China, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific region, the Americas and Africa. The museum is situated in Museiparken at Gärdet in Stockholm. Since 1999, it is a part of Swedish National Museums of World Culture and is also hosting the Sven Hedin Foundation. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 11:00AM – 5:00 PM, and Wednesdays 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM and is closed on Mondays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hjalmar Stolpe</span> Swedish academic

Knut Hjalmar Stolpe, was a Swedish entomologist, archaeologist, and ethnographer. He was the first director and curator of the Museum of Ethnography, Sweden. He is best known for his meticulous archaeological excavations at the Viking-age site Birka on the island Björkö.

The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography is a scientific learned society founded in December 1877. It was established after a rearrangement of various sections of the Anthropological Society, which was formed in 1873 by Hjalmar Stolpe, Hans Hildebrand, Oscar Montelius, and Gustaf Retzius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustaf VI Adolf</span> King of Sweden from 1950 to 1973

Gustaf VI Adolf was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf Adolf ascended the throne, he had been crown prince for nearly 43 years during his father's reign. As king, and shortly before his death, he gave his approval to constitutional changes which removed the Swedish monarchy's last political powers. He was a lifelong amateur archeologist particularly interested in Ancient Italian cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stegeborg Castle</span>

Stegeborg Castle is a ruined castle in St Anna parish, Söderköping, Östergötland, located on an island in a narrow sound at the bay of Slätbaken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salomon August Andrée</span> Swedish engineer, physicist, and explorer (1854–1897)

Salomon August Andrée, during his lifetime most often known as S. A. Andrée, was a Swedish engineer, physicist, aeronaut and polar explorer who died while leading an attempt to reach the Geographic North Pole by hydrogen balloon. The balloon expedition was unsuccessful in reaching the Pole and resulted in the deaths of all three of its participants.

Fernandoz is a Swedish dansband formed in 1986 in Vitsand, near Torsby. They had a big hit in 1991 entitled with the song "Jag vet att jag vill ha dig". The band won the "svenska dansbandsmästare" award in 1993 and they started appearing on the popular television program Bingolotto, for a number of times. Their most recognized hits include "Guld och gröna skogar", "En dag den sommaren", "När ett hjärta har älskat" Band guitarist Conny Ohlson and singer Anders Nordlund have won a Swedish Grammy "Guldklaven" for their work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broe helmet</span> Iron Age helmet

The Broe helmet is a decorated iron helmet from around the Vendel Period. Discovered around 1904 in a cremation grave in Broe, a farm on the Swedish island Gotland, it was located alongside other items including fragments of shields, weapons, bridles, and game pieces. Due to its extremely fragmented condition, only an incomplete reconstruction of the helmet is possible, but it appears to have been an example of the "crested helmets" that flourished in England and Scandinavia from the sixth through eleventh centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henning von Krusenstierna</span>

Admiral Henning Wilhelm Mauritz von Krusenstierna was a senior Swedish Navy officer. von Krusenstierna's served as head of the Military Office of the Ministry for Naval Affairs (1906–1909), as Flag Captain (1909–1915), as Minister for Naval Affairs (1910–1911) and as Chief of the Naval Staff (1916–1927).

References

  1. Forbes, David W. (1998). Hawaiian National Bibliography, 1780–1900: 1881–1900. University of Hawaii Press. p. 221. ISBN   9780824826369.
  2. 1 2 Erikson, Bo G. (2015). Kungen av Birka: Hjalmar Stolpe arkeolog och etnograf. Andra upplagan. Stockholm: Atlantis. pp. 323–324. ISBN   9789173538411.
  3. "Photographs from the Philippines taken during the Vanadis expedition". Collection database, Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  4. "Objects from Philippines collected during the Vanadis expedition". Collection database, Museum of Ethnography. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  5. "ThailandsHistoria.se – Historien om thailand – Prins Oscar Bernadotte besöker Siam 1884". www.thailandshistoria.se. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  6. "Vanadis ångade mot Siam – Thailandspostens arkiv". 2016-11-28. Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  7. Erikson, Bo G. (2015) p. 326
  8. Natt och Dag, Svante (1887). Jorden rundt under svensk örlogsflagg. p. 157.
  9. Natt och Dag (1887) p. 159
  10. Natt och Dag (1887) p.162
  11. Natt och Dag (1887) p.179