In 1835 the Gaimard expedition set off to explore Iceland and Greenland on the ship La Recherche. The leader of this expedition was Paul Gaimard, a French Naval surgeon and naturalist who wrote about the expedition in a nine volume work entitled: Voyage en Islande et au Groënland. This series, which included many illustrations, was then considered the definitive study of the islands. Another participant of the expedition was Auguste Mayer, a French artist who taught drawing at the École Navale. Mayer provided many gorgeous illustrations for Gaimard's book. For more on this expedition check out my blog from two weeks ago - click HERE
One of the locations the expedition visited in Iceland was commercial station at Djúpivogur. Throughout its history, Djúpivogur has been an important trading centre. In fact, its commercial records date all the way back to 1589. A warehouse from 1790, called Langabúð (the oldest warehouse in Djúpivogur) still stands in the town, and it has even been recently renovated and is a Heritage Museum.
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On 9 October 1987 Iceland issued a beautiful Souvenir Sheet for Stamp Day. This was the second year in a row that Iceland issued a special Stamp Day issue. For the 1986 issue, see the link above. Just like 1986, the 1987 Souvenir Sheet was designed and engraved by Czeslaw Slania. And in my humble opinion, it is even better than the first. But, of course, I may be biased, since this Souvenir Sheet includes sailing ships!
This stunning landscape captures a moment in time with stunning clarity: from the stark and rugged landscapes surrounding Djúpivogur to the tall ships sitting at anchor in the habour; and from the small village perched atop the rugged terrain to the villagers rowing out to the ships in row boats to greet the traders in the ships.
Until next time...
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