A watercolor depicting Charles Darwin and the crew of the HMS Beagle is set to be sold at Sotheby's in London on Dec. 15, and it will likely garner a bid upwards of £50,000 (roughly $100,000). It will be sold in the English Literature, History, Children's Books and Illustrations sale at the auction house, according to Sotheby's.
Darwin's famous voyage on the HMS Beagle took place from 1831-1836, and it has come to be known as one of the most important scientific voyages in human history, spanning five years. On this voyage, Darwin was exposed to species and phenomena that eventually led to his publishing of "On The Origin Of Species" in 1859, according to About 19th Century History. The painting is the only existing depiction of Darwin aboard this legendary ship.
The image shows Darwin himself interacting with the crew of the ship, with speech bubbles that show him explaining the fossils and other artifacts that lay at his feet. The crew is shown with speech bubbles as well, mostly expressing thoughts relating to Darwin. The painting was done while the ship was anchored in Patagonia in 1832, according to The Guardian. It is believed that the painting was made to entertain the crew, many of whom thought Darwin's discoveries to be ridiculous. The painting is thought to be the creation of Augustus Earle, the hired shipboard artist of The Beagle, due to the specific details in the painting, the date of the voyage, and the artist's tenure onboard.
This news comes on the heels of Darwin's "On The Origin Of Species" being voted the world's most influential academic book, designated by Professor Andrew Prescott as "the supreme demonstration of why academic books matter," The Guardian reported.
