South Seas

Playing Cards of the South Sea Bubble, 1720

1 Comment / British Empire, Commerce, Globalization, Playing Cards, Res Obscura, South Seas, Spanish Empire / By

I lay it down as a foundation, that whosoever, sailing over the South Seas… shall never fail to discover new worlds, new nations, and new inexhaustible funds of wealth and commerce, such as never were yet known to the merchants of Europe. – Daniel Defoe, A New Voyage Round the World, by a Course Never …

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Giolo, the Painted Prince

5 Comments / Body Art, British Empire, East Indies, Intercultural Encounters, London, Natural History, Oxford, Philippines, Print Culture, Seventeenth Century, South Seas, Tatoos, William Dampier / By

Prince Giolo, Son of ye King of Moangis or Gilolo: lying under the Equator in the Long[itude] of 152 Deg[rees] 30 Min[utes], a fruitful Island abounding with rich spices and other valuable Commodities. This famous Painted Prince is the just Wonder of ye Age. His whole Body (except Face, Hands and Feet) is curiously and …

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