Sketchbooks of 1833-1834 and 1834-1835, and loose copies of sketches by Martens.
Conrad Martens: Sketchbooks on board HMS Beagle
- This material is held at
- ReferenceGB 12 MSS.Add.7983-7984
- Dates of Creation1833-1835
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish
- Physical Description1 box-file
- Direct Link
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Conrad Martens (1801-1878), painter, was born in London on 21 March 1801. He studied landscape painting under Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding, and undertook sketching tours in Kent and Devon. In 1832 he joined Charles Darwin at Montevideo as topographer on HMS Beagle. He left the expedition at Valparaiso in 1834, and travelled via Tahiti and New Zealand to Sydney, where he arrived in April 1835. Martens worked in Sydney as a professional artist, and in 1863 was appointed assistant librarian at the Australian Parliamentary Library. He died in Sydney on 21 August 1878.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for consultation by holders of a Reader's Ticket valid for the Manuscripts Reading Room.
Acquisition Information
Presented by Lady Nora Barlow, 1973.
Other Finding Aids
None.
Alternative Form Available
Digital images made from the sketchbooks are available to view at www.lib.cam.ac.uk/ConradMarten.
Archivist's Note
Description compiled by Robert Steiner, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives.