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Natural history

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"Fishes of Port Jackson"
Artist: Raper, George
Created: [1789]
Dimensions: 32.3 x 48.3 cm
Reference: Raper Drawing - no. 62

 
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Drawing of two fishes, arranged in a row against a plain background. The fish on the left is of laterally compressed body shape, and is coloured olive green-grey fading to white underneath, with vertical stripes of black and grey stippled marks. The stripes extend over the elongated fins, which are otherwise predominantly yellow. The eye appears to have been painted with gold metallic paint. The fish to the right is smaller, of fusiform shape, and coloured red-brown above and yellow below, with a band of pink in between. It has several turquoise-blue lines on its face. The dorsal fin is yellow with pink spines and extends along most of the length of the back, while the anal fin is pink and extends half-way along the underside.The drawing is framed with a thick black ink line and a triple-banded border, the central band of which is coloured with a pink wash and contains the title, signature and date. Most of the outer band appears to have been lost through the drawing having been cropped.

 
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  • George Raper]
  • The drawing is inscribed in black ink at the bottom "FISHES of PORT-JACKSON * Natural Size - ~ GEO: RapeR.# 1789 ~".
  • The drawing is signed "GEO:RapeR" and dated 1789.
  • The drawing is inscribed in pencil at bottom left and top right with the number "62", and on the reverse "68".
  • The fishes have been identified by Whitley (1938) as an Old Wife, Enoplosus sp. and a Maori Wrasse, Opthalmolepsis sp.
  • 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) General Library and Picture Library: Picture Library order number 15162
  • Miss Eva Godman donated 1962
  • Data sheet available.
  • Whitley, G.P. 'Naturalists of the First Fleet', The Australian Museum Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 9, 1938 (pp.291-304).
  • 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.