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A rare early 17th-century engraved view of the island of St. Helena, published in Frankfurt in 1625 as part of the extended Hulsius voyage collection, a foundational series of German-language travel literature that continued for decades after the death of its namesake, Levinus Hulsius, in 1606.
This striking coastal view presents the steep and rocky northwestern coast of St. Helena, a key Atlantic stopover for European fleets engaged in Indian Ocean trade. The engraving offers a classic coastal profile with stylized mountainous terrain and a small European settlement labeled “S. Helena” alongside the Portuguese “Bico.” Inland features include a spring marked “Aguada Velha,” signaling the island’s critical value for resupply of fresh water. The foreground is filled with European sailing vessels, some discharging cannon fire in what may be a salute, while others dispatch smaller boats to shore, suggesting a coordinated naval operation or restocking effort.
Lettered references (A–E) correspond to explanatory text in the original volume, now separated from the image.
Although issued under the Hulsius name, the image reflects the publishing practices of Frankfurt printers who continued the series after his death, reusing and commissioning engravings to meet demand for travel narratives in the wake of Dutch and Portuguese expansion. The view of St. Helena, remote, mountainous, and strategic, captures the island's role as an essential node in the age of sail, well before its later notoriety as Napoleon’s place of exile.
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