The following story maps provide insight into 17th and 18th travel narratives through textual extracts, mapping, and contextualization. They were created by DH certificate students with teaching and learning in mind.
Impressions of South Africa: Tracking the Descriptions of Viscount
Born in 1838 in what is now Northern Ireland, James Bryce is highly regarded as an astute diplomat, statesman, and historian. Prior to his time in South Africa, Bryce would obtain his bachelors degree from Trinity College in 1862 and would go on to achieve a doctorate of civil law in 1870, and would then on serve as regius professor of civil law at Oxford until 1893. In addition to being an Oxford professor, Bryce would serve in the British Parliament’s House of Commons from 1880 to 1907…
Hans Egede’s Travels in Greenland: Places from His Book, A Description of Greenland
Hans Egede was born in Denmark on January 31, 1686. Egede became educated for the Christan ministry and served as a missionary. During his time as a missionary, Egede encountered Norwegians who had ancestral connections to Greenland. His fascination with the region grew from their stories, and he began to develop plans to visit the old Norwegian settlements. There Egede would devote his life to teaching the Greenlanders the truths of the Chinstain doctrine. On May 12, 1721, Egede left for Greenland with his wife and four children…
Tracing Thomas Gage: A Glimpse Into the 17th Century Central America
Thomas Gage (c. 1603-1656) was a Catholic Priest during the time he underwent the following journey. His initial plan was to travel to the Philippines from Spain, but due to travel restricitons places by Spain, he attempted to sneak there via passage through the Spanish Americas. Gage never made it to the Philippines and instead spent the next decade in what is today termed Central America before traveling home to England.
Joachim John Monteiro in Angola and the River Congo
Joachim John Monteiro was a Mining Engineer, Colonial Administrator, and explorer, born in London, England. He trained at the Royal College of Mines in London, and eventually traveled to Angola, Africa in 1858 to oversee mining enterprises in Bembe, specifically for malachite and copper, although he also observes and describes animals, plants, and birds in his book, Angola and the River Congo, vol. 1…
Women’s Labor in 19th C. British Empire: Through the Life and Travels of Mary Seacole
Women worked in multiple types of jobs across the 19th century. However, the kinds of employment they had access to depended on happenstance. Their choices were shaped by where they lived, what kind of education they had access to, and different categories of identity markers, including perceived race and ethnicity. Looking to Mary Jane Seacole as an exemplar, one can learn about a few different forms of employment and other ways to earn money available to some women in the British Empire.
Nasby in Exile: The Story of David Ross Locke’s Travels to Western Europe
David Ross Locke was an American humorist who was famous for his satire deriding Southern ideals. Locke lived in the state of Ohio, promoting racial equality and abolition through irony in his writings. He achieved this by writing letters from the perspective of his character Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby, an ignorant and brash confederate supporter. His work was popular among many prominent leaders of the Union during and around the time of the US Civil War, including Abraham Lincoln, who often recited Locke’s work…