Photo Gallery

A typical landscape of the Tierra del Fuego region near Ushuaia in Argentina, set amongst the rugged, unspoilt peat and grassland terrain characteristic of the valleys outside Ushuaia. – Argentina – 1973

The town of Ushuaia, situated in a sheltered bay on the northern shore of the Beagle Channel, grew out of a Protestant mission station in 1868. In 1884, when it had a population of just under 150, it became the capital of the Argentine territory of Tierra del Fuego; two years later, it became a penal colony. The prisoners were put to work in forestry, and for a long time timber shipping formed the economic basis of the settlement. Since the Second World War, Ushuaia – which now has a population of around 4,000 – has served as a base for Argentina’s Antarctic expeditions. One- and two-storey wooden houses still characterise the town as an unfinished pioneer settlement. In 1953, Ushuaia had to cede the title of ‘the southernmost city in the world’ to the Chilean military base of Puerto Williams on Navarino Island. - Book: Picture 209 - Argentina - 1973

The photograph shows a historic panoramic view (1973) of the Argentine city of Ushuaia, the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego (Fireland). The town is picturesquely situated on a sheltered bay on the northern shore of the Beagle Channel. The image captures the town’s former, still predominantly rural character, with simple wooden houses and tin roofs. On the right-hand edge of the picture, near the coast, the historic Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (the old parish church) stands out with its striking tower. – Argentina – 1973

A view of the Argentine city of Ushuaia on the island of Tierra del Fuego, framed by the coastline of the Beagle Channel and the striking, snow-capped mountain range, with the distinctive Monte Olivia in the background. The port of Ushuaia is a major hub for trade and fishing, as well as a starting point for Antarctic expedition cruises. – Argentina – 1973

Sheep farming and sheep transport have had a significant impact on the history and economy of the region around Ushuaia and throughout Patagonia. From the late 19th century onwards, the region underwent drastic changes following the introduction of livestock. Large estates (estancias) – such as the famous Estancia Harberton near Ushuaia – were established to produce wool and meat for export worldwide. As there were hardly any roads in the rugged landscape of Tierra del Fuego, criss-crossed by fjords and islands, the entire economy depended entirely on ships. Sheep were transported from the surrounding islands to the processing plants on small sailing vessels (cutters) and steamships. As can be seen in the photograph, huge flocks were herded right up to the coast to be loaded onto cargo ships via simple wooden jetties. – Argentina – 1973

Sheep are the wealth of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. The English missionary Th. Bridges brought the first small breeding flock from the Falkland Islands to his mission station in Ushuaia on the Beagle Channel in 1871. Not far from this town, on the natural channel that divides southern Tierra del Fuego, a flock of recently shorn sheep awaits shipment. - Book: Picture 206 - Argentina - 1973

Sheep farming in Ushuaia and on Tierra del Fuego has a long and dramatic history, which has had a lasting impact on the character of this extreme region in the south of Argentina and Chile. Large-scale sheep farming began at the end of the 19th century. As the rugged steppe was available in abundance, huge numbers of sheep were imported. Wool and meat were exported directly from the coast to Europe on large cargo ships – similar to the one shown in the photograph. To ensure the success of the vast farms (estancias), European settlers encroached upon the hunting grounds of the indigenous peoples (such as the Selk’nam and Yámana). As the indigenous people hunted sheep as ‘lame guanacos’, this led to bloody conflicts and ultimately to the almost complete extermination of the indigenous population. – Today, sheep farming in this region is no longer profitable for various reasons. – Argentina – 1973

The Tierra del Fuego National Park is the southernmost national park on Earth. Winter storms have washed up bleached driftwood on the shores of the lakes. The gentle slopes of the peaks towering above them – such as Montaña El Cóndor here – with their forests and heathland, represent a slice of Tierra del Fuego’s unspoilt natural landscape, which has already been largely altered by sheep farmers in other parts of this southernmost region of Argentina. - Book: Picture 211 - Argentina - 1973