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William Dampier

(1651-1715), Circumnavigator and hydrographer

Later Stuart Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 4 portraits
Dampier was at various times a merchant seaman, planter, buccaneer, pirate, and an explorer. Famed as the first person to circumnavigate the globe three times, he visited the Galapagos before Charles Darwin, and Australia before Captain Cook. His travel accounts, New Voyage Round the World (1697) and A Voyage to New Holland (1703), became well-known, proving essential for later maritime expeditions. They also inspired literature such as Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Among the many words that he introduced into the English language are 'banana', 'barbecue' and 'chopsticks'.

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William Dampier, by Thomas Murray - NPG 538

William Dampier

by Thomas Murray
oil on canvas, circa 1697-1698
NPG 538

William Dampier, after Thomas Murray - NPG D31527

William Dampier

after Thomas Murray
line engraving, late 18th to early 19th century
NPG D31527

William Dampier, by Charles Sherwin, after Thomas Murray - NPG D2251

William Dampier

by Charles Sherwin, after Thomas Murray
line engraving, published 1787
NPG D2251

William Dampier, by John Horsburgh - NPG D31526

William Dampier

by John Horsburgh
line engraving, early 19th century
NPG D31526

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