WD526-537, WD956-958

HORSFIELD COLLECTION. HORSFIELD, THOMAS (1773-1859)

Thomas Horsfield, an American by birth, went to Java in 1802 as a surgeon in the service of the Dutch government. In 1811, when the British took Java, he transferred to the British service. With the encouragement of Raffles, he made many valuable reports on natural history, and explored archaeological remains. In 1819 he retired, and became Keeper of the East India Company's Museum in Leadenhall Street from 1820 to 1859. He wrote many papers on scientific subjects, and catalogued the natural history collections in the Museum. Although the drawings listed below are not strictly 'official' and remained in Horsfield's possession, many of them appear to be copies of drawings forwarded to Raffles, and used by him in his ‘History of Java.’ Like MacKenzie, Horsfield drew no line between his official duties and leisure activities.

Bibliography: For his work in Java, see Sophia Raffles, ‘Memoir of the life and public services of Sir Thomas Raffles’ (London, 1830), 602-32; Mildred Archer, 'Archaeology and the British interlude in Java', ‘Geographical Magazine,’ February 1958, 460-72, reproducing WD957 ff.6 (96), 9 (99); WD958 ff.2v (178), 31v (278).

---------------------

WD526-537

A portfolio containing 206 loose drawings of plans, maps, profiles of mountains, geological curiosities and landscapes in Java and Banka, together with 11 sketches selected as examples of Horsfield's work and mounted and separately catalogued. The remaining sketches have been preserved in their original bundles. 1805-17.

Some drawings by Horsfield, others by Dutch or Javanese draftsmen.

Inscribed in most cases with titles and notes.

Pencil, water-colour, pen-and-ink; size of portfolio, 26.5 by 21.5 ins.

Presented by Thomas Horsfield, 1820.

Note: Most of these sketches have little significance today as they have been superseded by more recent surveying, but they illustrate Horsfield's energetic geographical and geological research.

---------------------

WD527-537

11 drawings removed from portfolio WD526.

Presented by Thomas Horsfield, 1820.

---------------------

Mss Eur F54/ff.1-153

Johnston no.623. 70 miscellaneous drawings between 1800 and 1818.

---------------------

WD956-958

3 volumes of drawings of landscapes, plantation houses and antiquities, chiefly in Java.

1800-18.

Pencil, pen-and-ink, and water-colour; size of volume 21.75 by 14 ins.

Presented by Thomas Horsfield, c.1820.

Many of the sketches are by Horsfield himself (e.g. WD956, ff.21-26), the style of these careful pencil drawings being identical with those in his geological collection (WD527-537). Some drawings are clearly by Dutch draftsmen (e.g.WD957, f.31 and WD958, f.8v (204), f.14 (217), f.16 (226)). It is known that various Dutch draftsmen assisted Horsfield: M.L. Doppert of the Semarang Marine School and J. van Stralendorff worked for him from 1813 to 1816. Local Javanese artists were also employed by him (e.g.WD957, ff.21, 30); a few drawings came to him from Dutch or English friends (e.g.WD958, f.11).

Note: About 1879, these drawings were pasted into three scrap-books entitled ‘Miscellaneous Drawings’ and were given red serial numbers. They had become separated from any record of their provenance, but there is little doubt that they are part of Horsfield's Java collection, which he presented to the Library on joining the staff in 1820. It will be noticed that the red numbers on the drawings no longer follow in uninterrupted sequence. This is because Finlayson's Siam Collection and drawings from other sources which had become intermixed and confused with Horsfield's collection have since been removed and mounted separately (see WD972-1000). The remaining drawings (Horsfield's) have been rebound in the present volumes. Gaps in the red serial numbers are therefore due to the removal of drawings not in Horsfield's collection. In the entries below, figures in brackets denote these red serial numbers.