Joseph Banks and the flora of the Australian east coast

Over 30 coloured engravings, based on Sydney Parkinson’s drawings, of plants collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Carl Solander during Captain James Cook’s first Pacific voyage (1768-71).

An Australian National Maritime Museum Travelling Exhibition.

Coloured engravings of Sydney Parkinson’s original drawings which recorded the coastal plants collected between Sydney and far north Queensland by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Carl Solander, on Captain James Cook’s first voyage round the world, 1768–1771.

Sydney Parkinson completed 1,300 sketches and watercolours of botanical specimens and landscape views during his voyage on the Endeavour. He died on the return leg to England.

Joseph Banks commissioned five artists to complete Parkinson’s watercolours and 18 engravers to cut copper printing plates to publish the illustrations in full colour. The publication never eventuated and Banks’ collection was transferred to the British Museum in 1827.

These engravings are from the Australian section of Banks’ Florilegium, a set of 743 images of botanic specimens of which 337 feature Australian plants. The engravings were reprinted from the original plates between 1980 and 1990 by Alecto Historical Editions and the British Museum of Natural History.

 

 

Image above: John Frederick Miller, Banksia serrata

ANMM Collection Gift from Dr and Mrs E Schiller

 

Image below: Joseph Banks  1774.

Painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds engraved by W Dickinson

ANMM Collection

 

When

Location

Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, 1A First Street, Booragul 2284  View in Google Maps