Eastern gray kangaroo, Macropus giganteus and grass tree, Xanthorrhoea sp
George Raper (1769 - 1797)
Watercolour and ink, c1789, © Natural History Museum
Raper collection
Raper faced the same difficulties as other First Fleet artists in capturing accurate depictions of fauna unfamiliar to them. Andrew Sayers, in his book Australian Art (2001), describes this obstacle as an ‘endearing naivety’ and this kangaroo epitomises this in many ways.
More First Fleet images
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'View of the East side of Sidney Cove, Port Jackson; from the Anchorage'
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'A View of the West side of Norfolk Island and the manner in which the crew and...
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'South View of Sydney-Cove, taken from the General Spring nigh the Eastern...
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Waratah, Telopea speciosissima
Port Jackson Painter, Watling...
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Banksia flower, Banksia sp
Port Jackson Painter, Watling collection
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Grass tree, Xanthorrhoea australis
Port Jackson Painter, Watling...
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Diamond python, Morelia spilota
Port Jackson Painter, watercolour and...
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Yellow-tailed black cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus funereus
George Raper,...
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Bi-Gong
Thomas Watling, pencil, 1792–1797
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Balloderree
Port Jackson Painter, Watling collection, watercolour and...
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Fishing scene with Aboriginal implements
Port Jackson Painter, Watling...
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The Art of the First Fleet book
Enjoy rare watercolours, ink and pencil drawings and some of the only visual records of the lives of the indigenous Eora people of Australia.
These beautiful illustrations, by artists on board the First Fleet, document the sights witnessed by the first Europeans to colonise Australia.