Images of Nature videos

Explore natural history art in our videos

Watch this video. Our rare books curator, Judith Magee, introduces the purpose of natural history art and some of the Museum’s treasured artworks.

From a dodo painting inspired by the latest science to discovering the different trends in natural history illustration, you can explore our natural history art collection and expertise in these online videos.

All the videos, excluding the squid in ink, are shown at the kiosks in the Images of Nature gallery and you can see many of the featured artworks on your visit.

Enjoy our 4 new videos featuring the gallery's temporary exhibition of 18th-century artworks from the First Fleet colonisation of Australia and including contemporary artist Daniel Boyd's modern response to the historic collection.

Unique flora and fauna video

Discover why our collection of artwork from the 18th-century First Fleet voyage is such an important record of Australia's natural history.
Spearing the Governor video

This famous painting depicts the Head of the British colony, Governor Phillip, with a spear through his shoulder. But, as you can find out here, there is much more to the story than might at first appear.
Artist Daniel Boyd looks beyond the images video

Australian artist-in-residence Daniel Boyd looks at what the First Fleet collection does and doesn't tell us about the early years of colonisation and the relationship between the British settlers and the Aboriginal people.
Tracing the past

Discover in this video how Daniel Boyd's installation brings a fresh perspective to both the First Fleet collection and the human remains collection housed at the Museum.
Wood-block printing video

Find out about wood-block printing and engraving with illustrator Chris Wormell, who was inspired by the work of the 19th-century artist Thomas Bewick.
Weevil art video

Museum entomologist Chris Lyal explores the work of Mark Ines Russell and in particular his striking weevil art.
Metal-plate engraving video

Printmaker Katrina van Grouw tells us about the art of metal-plate engraving and the illustrator Sydney Parkinson.
Painting the dodo video

Artist and palaeontologist Dr Julian Hume gives us a modern interpretation of Roelandt Savery’s 17th-century iconic painting of the dodo.
Reconstructing the dodo video

Discover how the image and reconstruction of the classic dodo body shape has changed through scientific research with dodo expert Dr Julian Pender Hume.
Researching the dodo’s Mauritian ecosystem video

Find out about the flora and fauna of Mauritius and why so many creatures like the dodo became extinct when humans arrived there.
Squid in ink video

Watch artist Alice Shirley create a life-size illustration of well-known Museum specimen, Archie the giant squid, using fresh squid ink.
Hammerhead shark’s head CT scan

Fly through a hammerhead shark’s nostril to investigate water flow in this micro-CT scan of a 3D model of a shark’s head.