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The Art of the First Fleet: Images of Nature

Discover the remarkable images from the historic First Fleet expedition, including rare drawings of the local indigenous population and some species that are now extinct or very rare.

ISBN: 978 0 56509296 2

Author: Lisa Di Tommaso

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The Art of the First Fleet

£ 12.99

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The Art of the First Fleet is a captivating collection of watercolours, washes, ink and pencil drawings created during the time of this historic event.

The collection, now housed in the Natural History Museum, provides an invaluable record of the wildlife and environment, people and events, as seen through the eyes of the colonists who laid the foundations for the European settlement of Australia.

About the First Fleet
In 1788, nearly 1,500 people on 11 sailing ships came ashore at Port Jackson in Australia after a gruelling eight month journey from England.

This collection of vessels later became known as the First Fleet, and those who sailed in them were the community who established the first European colony in Australia.

While images of plants and animals were not always technically accurate, they made a significant contribution to the development of science, allowing experts in Britain to be able to identify and name a large number of new species.

The artists’ drawings of the people and culture of the Eora people, the local indigenous population of the area, provide the only lasting visual record of their lives.

They remain an invaluable record of the artists’ attempts to make sense and order of this new land.

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