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Langsdorff George
(1774—1852)

German physician, diplomat and traveler with a keen interest in natural history. He entered Russian service in 1803 and sailed with the expedition of Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern, a Russian/Estonian navigator and hydrographer (1770-1846), to the Pacific, departing Kronstadt in August 1803 with two ships. Langsdorff was on the Neva, together with a.o. Otto von Kotzebue. Via Madeira, Brazil, the expedition rounded Cape Horn in March 1804. In June 1804 the two ships parted company. The Neva, under the command of Iurii Fedorovich Lisyansky, with Langsdorff on board, stopped first at Kauai, then to Kodiac. There the Russians built a fortress, which they named New Archangel'sk, later to become Sitka. During the voyage Langsdorff accompanied Nikolai Petrovich Rezanov to Japan. His stay in Nagasaki was for Langsdorff the most interesting part of the expedition. Langsdorff returned to Kamchatka, then wintered at Sitka (1805-06) and sailed southwards along the American coast and the Aleuthians, as far as San Francisco, where he arrived in early April 1806.
The first volume includes descriptions of Brazil with a folding plate of a Brazilian song, the Marquesas and Japan. With 2 fine plates of Nukahiwa, one showing trible tattoos and three of Japan. The last chapter contains 4 folding tables with a glossary of the Ainu language.
The second volume starts with Langsdorff's departure from Katschatka and describes his many stops before he arrives in San Francisco where he tries to make trade connections between Russia and New-California.
Langsdorff was appointed by Alexander I as consul General of Russia to Rio de Janeiro. He arrived in Rio in 1813, and for many years led a very active and exciting life there. The present work gives comprehensive accounts of Brazil, Japan and Hawaii, as well as a fuller account of Sitka, and of the settlement of San Francisco than any other (Sabin). The descriptions of the peoples and cultures visited, have made Langsdorff's work a classic in early ethnography, especially for his description of the Marquesas.

Brazil, 1992, George Langsdorf

Russia, 1992, George Langsdorf

USSR, 1974, George Langsdorf