Peter Kolbe Trading with the Khoikhoi, 18th Century

Peter Kolbe (1675-1726) was a Dutch astronomer and naturalist. He was sent to the Cape of Good Hope with a mandate to compile a comprehensive description of South Africa and for astronomical and surveying research. Kolbe is best remembered for his publication Naauwkeurige beschryving van de Kaap de Goede Hoop. His account devotes 45 pages to mammals, 22 to birds, 24 to fishes, and 20 pages to snakes, insects and other animals. He was appointed as the first official astronomer in South Africa and worked at the Cape between 1705-13, providing a detailed account of day-to-day life at the Cape, also describing the geography, climate, flora and fauna, followed by an accurate study of the Hottentots (Khoikhoi, nomadic pastoralist non-Bantu indigenous population of southwestern Africa), covering their language, religion, lifestyle and customs. No artist credited, undated

Picture No

12696904

Media ID

47682090

Size

3900px x 3553px (4.2MB)

Credit

NYPL/Science Source/Mary Evans