This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, and now that I’ve realised how many blog posts I still have to do, I figured now is a good time to do this! I would like to introduce you guys to the father and son team of Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster, who were Prussian naturalists in the 18th century. Their most notable achievement was serving as the naturalists on James Cook’s second voyage into the South Pacific from 1772-1775. I wrote a long essay about the Forsters for Bernhard’s module on Travel Cultures last semester, where I compared the handwritten journals written by Johann Reinhold with the published account written by Georg. I believe the Forsters unique position as Prussians in the service of the British crown demonstrate how they can be seen as interesting transnational figures. Georg’s life took a further transnational turn afterwards, but I think I will write about him in a separate blog post.
An ancestor of the Forsters hailed from Yorkshire and was a Royalist against Cromwell who later relocated to Prussia. This connection to Britain triggered a unique allegiance in Johann Reinhold Forster, who was in awe of the scientific might of the empire during this time. A firm believer in the role of science in voyages of discovery, the elder Forster relocated his entire family to Britain in order to establish himself in circles that held renowned scientists like Joseph Banks, who had served as the naturalist on Cook’s first voyage. His ultimate goal was to receive royal patronage that would enable him to further scientific discovery in the name of the British Empire.[1]
What is most interesting is his loyalty to Britain over Prussia. Prior to his move to Britain, Forster was constantly plagued with debts and looking for academic positions. Though he achieved recognition during an expedition to Russia with Georg, where they documented and collected roughly 700 specimens, opportunities were scarce, and Forster envisioned better success abroad.[2] Though he struggled to hold down jobs in Britain, Forster was still able to elevate his reputation enough that he was chosen for Cook’s voyage. He believed that by participating in Cook’s voyage, he could demonstrate how important science was to these discovery expeditions in order to spread the influence of the British Empire.
In addition to scientific observations, Forster’s handwritten journals contain laments about the British Empire, fitting in many connections to the empire’s greatness, its achievements in science, and how grateful he was to be in service. However, in his entries towards the end of the voyage, there is a sense of disenchantment with the empire, perhaps due to the length of time spent at sea and his unpopularity amongst the crew.
His miseries continued as the reputation as the leading scientist on Cook’s second voyage did not elevate him to the heroic status achieved previously by Joseph Banks. He was not well-liked by the other members on the voyage, with many of the crew favouring Georg over his father. There was a publishing controversy upon the voyage’s return to Britain, which only exacerbated Forster’s un-likable character and difficult nature, during which he basically destroyed any reputation he had in Britain. Three years after the voyage’s completion, after finally paying of his many debts, Forster moved his family back to Prussia, where Georg eventually found greater success than his father. However, despite having served on such a revolutionary and momentous journey with one of the most well-known figures of their time, Johann Reinhold’s transnational life ended quite quickly with the publishing controversy, as he remained in Prussia for the remainder of his life, plagued by financial problems and his difficult temperament, never attaining the influence in the scientific community he so desired.[3]
[1] John Dawson, ‘The Forsters, Father and Son, Naturalists on Cook’s Second Voyage’, New Zealand Slavonic Journal (1998), p. 99.
[2] Dawson, ‘The Forsters’, p. 101.
[3] Ibid., pp. 107-108.