The project examines the making of the first atlas of New Zealand, by the Viennese geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter (1829–1884) and the Gotha cartographer August Petermann (1822–1878). It offers novel insights into the production, exchange, and transformation of map knowledge from the field to the printing press. The Geologisch-Topographischer Atlas von Neu-Seeland (1863) was instrumental in shaping the geographical imagination of New Zealand in the late nineteenth century, yet its origins have largely remained unknown. By studying previously untapped archival sources such as correspondence, field notes, and sketch maps, this article analyses how spatial information circulated over long distances between diverse actors and sites. It traces this ‘translocal’ knowledge from Hochstetter’s fieldwork in New Zealand during the Austrian frigate SMS Novara’s circumnavigation (1857–1859) to the cartographic visualisation under Petermann at the publishing house Justus Perthes in Gotha. Special attention is given to the negotiations among key figures and institutions in their efforts to establish authority and credibility. Their reliance on often marginalised actors, both within and beyond Europe, highlights the power–knowledge dynamics that influenced the mapmaking process.
Duration
1 March 2022 to 31 December 2026
Researcher
Dr. Norman Henniges
Dr Johannes Mattes
Dr Sascha Nolden
Publications
Norman Henniges, Johannes Mattes, Sascha Nolden: Between mapping and maps: Translocal knowledge in the making of Hochstetter and Petermann’s Atlas of New Zealand (1863), In: Journal of Historical Geography 89 (2025), S. 69-86 [double-blind peer reviewed]. > Volltext [überprüft zuletzt am 19.2025]
Sascha Nolden und Norman Henniges: Ferdinand von Hochstetter als Kartograph und die Kartierung von Neuseeland. In: Ferdinand von Hochstetter. Neuseeland-Tagebuch, hrsg. von Sacha Nolden und Mike Johnston. [vorläufiger Arbeitstitel, in Bearbeitung]
Institutions
Institute of Culture Studies, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway
Further Information
Dr Johannes Mattes
Institute of Culture Studies
Austrian Academy of Sciences
1010 Vienna, Austria