Een Jaar aan Kaap Hoorn De Aarde en haar Volken, 1886

A multinational scientific effort in the early 1880s gathered experts from across Europe to study magnetic and meteorological phenomena around the polar regions. Among the fourteen stations chosen, a French team was assigned to the remote Oranjebaai near Cape Horn, traveling aboard the French navy vessel Romanche under Captain Martial. Their mission blended rigorous observations of the Earth’s magnetism with extensive natural‑history work—collecting specimens, mapping coastlines and recording astronomical data.

When the Romanche finally anchored in the orange‑tinged bay, the expedition’s first task was to find a suitable spot for their temporary settlement. The men quickly discovered that the flat ground they needed was bogged down, the water sources scarce, and the landing places for their boats treacherous. Undeterred, they began to erect modular wooden huts, preparing a base from which they could conduct their year‑long scientific program while confronting the harsh, windswept landscape of the southern tip of the world.