First Fleet artwork collection

Drawing of a fish in left profile, against a plain background. The fish has elongated fins, a long snout with a pink club-shaped protrusion underneath, and the mouth open to show the pink tongue and teeth or upper jaw. It is predominantly coloured grey above and white below, with some black patches, and a line running from the snout to the tail, branching around the face. 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. The signature and date are located in the inner band at lower right. Most of the outer band appears to have been lost through the drawing having been cropped.

• George Raper]
• The drawing is inscribed in black ink at bottom "FISH of PORT JACKSON 1/4 Less Natural Size".
• The drawing is signed and dated at lower right "GEO: RapeR.# 1790 ~"
• The drawing is inscribed in pencil at bottom left with the number "33", at top right "32", and on the reverse "44".
• The fish was identified by Whitley (1938) as the Elephant Shark Callorhinchus milii.
• John Calaby notes the similarity of the drawing to one in the sketchbook by John Hunter in the National Library of Australia, Canberra. (Calaby, John (ed). The Hunter Sketchbook. Melbourne, National Library of Australia, 1989 p. 176.)
• 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 15133
• 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.