Joseph Dufour. Nootka Sound. 1804.

Joseph Dufour et Cie (est. 1797)

Nootka Sound
From: *“Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique” or “Les Voyages du Capitaine Cook”*
Designed by Jean-Gabriel Charvet (1750–1829)
Mâcon and Paris, France: 1804–1805 Block-printed wallpaper

Dimensions: 69" x 62"

This richly layered panel from Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique brings together three distinct Pacific cultures in a carefully balanced composition, framed by lush vegetation and a gently arching tree that leads the eye across the scene. It is among the most narratively and culturally complex panels in the series — celebrating both diversity and dignity through posture, dress, and setting.
• At left, a group of Māori warriors from New Zealand stands with proud bearing, wrapped in finely detailed cloaks and holding traditional spears. Their feathered headdresses and the symmetry of their formation reflect both social cohesion and martial strength — elements central to Māori identity. Charvet’s rendering, though idealized, captures something of the power and presence recorded in Cook’s journals and sketches.
• Center, two figures engage in conversation — likely representing the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Nootka Sound (present-day Vancouver Island). They wear the distinctive woven cedar bark hats associated with the region, the same iconic form famously worn by Chief Maquinna, the Mowachaht leader who met Captain Cook in 1778. A pair of dogs sits calmly at their feet, underscoring their domestic presence and the central role that dogs played in Indigenous lifeways on the Northwest Coast. The inclusion of these hats is more than an ethnographic detail — it’s a signal of authority, trade, and ceremonial importance.
• Background right, a bustling waterfront scene depicts Polynesian seafarers, most likely from the island of Nomuka (Anamocka) in the Tongan archipelago. Canoes are being prepared and launched, and palm-lined shores frame a moment of collective maritime labor — a tribute to Polynesia’s unparalleled achievements in navigation, oceanic exploration, and communal coordination.

Historical and Cultural Context:
• Māori Representation: This segment draws on the detailed accounts from Cook’s visits to New Zealand in the 1770s, where he recorded complex tribal structures, ceremonial life, and the formidable presence of Māori warriors.
• Nootka Sound and Chief Maquinna: This portion is deeply rooted in Cook’s dramatic landing at Nootka Sound, which inaugurated a new chapter in European-Indigenous diplomacy. While Maquinna is not directly portrayed here, the visual markers of his people — especially the cedar hats — evoke the sovereignty and sophistication of his leadership.
• Polynesian Navigation: The canoes and maritime figures reflect the awe Cook and his crew felt when encountering Polynesian navigators, whose mastery of the ocean predated European exploration by centuries.

This panel is not just a record of cultural types; it is a choreographed celebration of Pacific diversity, sovereignty, and identity at the moment of first contact. The figures are not exoticized as curiosities but elevated as participants in a grand and emerging global narrative. Through gesture, dress, and spatial rhythm, the panel honors the complexity and dignity of these communities — especially meaningful for those who understand the enduring legacy of Nootka Sound in the Pacific world.