The Price of Collecting: Sailors and the Labor of French Natural History in the South Seas, 1800-1840.

This article examines the role of sailors in the collection of natural history specimens during French naval scientific expeditions in the South Seas from 1800 to 1840. Initially, on Nicolas Baudin’s 1800–1804 mission, sailors were employed en masse to gather specimens, often compensated with rum, which disrupted shipboard discipline and challenged naval authority. In response, later expeditions in the 1820s and 1830s replaced civilian scientists with naval medical officers and selectively recruited sailors with recognized expertise, rewarding them with privileges rather than alcohol to maintain order. Although these skilled sailors contributed significantly to natural history collecting and developed some scientific knowledge, they rarely received formal credit for their work, reflecting tensions between labor, authority, and recognition in early 19th-century French scientific voyages. The article highlights how local economic and social dynamics aboard ships influenced the practices and organization of natural history collection during this period. [Extracted from the article]