First Fleet artwork collection

Two views of islands, with buildings or fortifications on them. Each drawing is inscribed with a title beneath it, framed with a black ink border and divided by a central band of pink wash. The top view depicts a small low-lying island of brown rocks, the central part of which supports a grey castellated wall with the brick-work detailed and an entrance at sea-level to the right. The tops of several buildings can be seen to the right of the construction, and a flag-pole to the left, flying a large white flag with pink spots around the centre. The drawing below depicts two white buildings at sea-level; a two-storey building with an ornate entrance to the right, and a colonnaded building to the left. Behind them to the right is a small green hill, with a grey-brown tent at the top. the sea in both drawings is represented by a pale blue-grey wash overlaid with grey horizontal brush marks, and the sky by grey washes towards the top. Some blue ink or paint appears to have been spilt over the drawing at centre left. The drawings are 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 at the bottom.

• George Raper]
• The drawing is inscribed in black ink with two titles. The drawing at the top is entitled "SQUARE ISLAND, a little within the Entrance of RIO de JANEIRO" in a band between the two drawings. A pencil note above it in an unknown hand identifies it as "Fort Lage". The drawing below is entitled at the bottom "ISLAND dos ENXCHADOS in Ro. JANEIRO * the Tent, a temporary observatory to correct the Rate of Our TIME-KEEPER in 1787 *".
• The drawing is signed and dated at lower right "GEO: RapeR.# 1789 ~".
• The drawing is inscribed in pencil at bottom left with the number "9", at top right "8", and on the reverse "18".
• The First Fleet was anchored at Rio de Janeiro from 6th August to 4th September 1787. John Hunter describes the setting up of the tent in An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (London, 1793, p.20), and the islands in the harbour were described in The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay in 1789 (ref. J.J. Auchmuty (ed). The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay. Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 1970 pp.14-15.)
• 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 15109
• 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.94, p.94).