This lovely view depicts a plantation in Bethany on St. John, with the reformed church in the distance at right. In the background is the island of St. Thomas. Drawn by Christian George Andreas Oldendorp and engraved by J. G. Sturm in Nurnberg.

This engraving was published in Geschichte der Missionen, the history of the Moravian Missions in the Danish West Indies based on the work of Christian George Andreas Oldendorp. A minister in the Moravian Church in Europe, Oldendorp traveled to the Danish West Indies to collect information on the progress of the missions. He spent many months on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, interviewing natives and collecting data on social conditions, slavery, geography, and piracy. Oldendorp returned to Europe with over 3,000 pages of information from his research, which was then condensed by Johann Jacob Bossart and published in 1777. Oldendorf's work represented the first printed history of the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.

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Condition: A

A nice impression, issued folding with the watermark of a king holding a scepter. The top margin has been extended to accommodate framing.