In 1815, Louis (or Ludovik/Ludwig) Choris (1795-1828) was living in St. Petersburg, Russia, when he was selected to be the official painter to accompany Captain Otto von Kotzebue's expedition to find a northwest passage through North America. Although only 20 years old, Choris had acquired a reputation in the Moscow art community as a botanical artist from an earlier Russian scientific expedition to the Caucasus Mountains. Twenty-seven people sailed aboard the ship Rurik, including Captain Kotzebue, scientist Adelbert von Chamisso, and Choris. The expedition left Europe July 3, 1815, sailed around South America and crossed the Pacific to Kamchatka where they wintered. During the summer of 1816, they explored the Bering Strait and Unalaska in the Aleutians. In October, they anchored in San Francisco Bay to stock up on food. Choris painted the region's inhabitants. From Nov. 1816 to Mar. 1817, they sailed the Hawaiian Islands before returning to the Arctic. The Rurik returned to St. Petersburg Aug. 3, 1818, after visiting Guam, the Philippines, South Africa, and London. From the paintings he made while on the trip, Choris published Voyage Pittoresque autour du monde.... in 1822. He pursued a successful art career and produced another collection of lithographs in 1826. On March 22, 1828, he was attacked and killed by robbers on his way to Mexico City from Veracruz. [Portions from the American Journeys web site: americanjourneys.org]