Mannskapsliste fra "Restauration" Kilde: AV/RA-S-1063/D/Db/L0006/0001: Journalsaker F, jnr. 251-486 / Jnr. 456/1826 F - Brev fra C.H. Valeur med to vedlegg vedrørende "Restauration", 1826, s. 2

Restauration – A Journey That Left Its Mark

In 1825, the sloop Restauration set sail from Stavanger with 52 people aboard, bound for America. The voyage is considered the beginning of organized Norwegian emigration to the United States.

Letters, registers, and official documents offer a glimpse into the preparations and formalities that shaped the journey—revealing what it took to set sail, and how the traces of that voyage still echo through the archives. To mark the Emigration Bicentennial, the National Archives of Norway has created a digital exhibition about the Restauration and its voyage to America 200 years ago. The exhibition is available on the National Archives of Norway’s website, and several original sources can be explored further on the Digital Archives

This painting of the sloop Selen is the closest we have to a visual representation of the Restoration, as there are no known contemporary images of the ship itself. The illustration has subsequently been used as a model for most artistic representations of the Restoration. The original work has been lost, but this copy was made in 1929 by a person with the initials D.G.A., and is based on a painting by Ole Johnsen Sebøy (1791–1843).