- George Raper]
- The drawing is inscribed with the title at bottom, "THE MELANCHOLY LOSS of His Majesty's Ship SIRIUS, WRECK'D on NORFOLK ISLAND, on Friday Noon March 19th 1790 * taken from the Flag Staff on the Beach."
- The drawing is signed and dated at lower right in the inner band of the border "GEO: RapeR.# 1790 -".
- The drawing is inscribed in pencil at bottom left with the number "22", at top right "21", and on the reverse "19".
- The Sirius was wrecked as it tried to land at Norfolk Island on 19th March 1790. An eye-witness account of the event is given by the Captain, John Hunter, in An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (London, 1793).
- The author of this catalogue record is Suzanne Stenning.
- By permission of the trustees of the Natural History Museum (London).
- Two sets of transparencies held in the Natural History Museum (London) Zoology Library and Picture Library: Picture Library order number 15122
- Miss Eva Godman donated 1962
- Data sheet available.
- Hindwood, K.A. 'George Raper: an Artist of the First Fleet', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol. 50, Pt. 1, 1964 pp.32-57.
- Wheeler, A. and Smith, B, (eds.) The Art of the First Fleet and other early Australian Drawings. New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1988 (pl.126, p.121).
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![[The Wrecking of the Sirius as it attempted to land on Norfolk island]](image.dsml?imageref=NHM-UK_L_a353599_22_M_1.jpg&width=300)