Art of the First Fleet
Images of Nature

In 1788, nearly fifteen-hundred people on eleven sailing ships came ashore at Port Jackson in Western Australia after a grueling four 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 penal colony in New South Wales and who laid the foundations for the birth of the nation of Australia. The Art of the First Fleet is a captivating collection of watercolours, washes, ink and pencil drawings created during this historic time, and now housed in the Natural History Museum. It depicts the natural history of this extraordinary land and the events that marked these initial formative years, as seen through the eyes of European settlers. The artists' drawings of the people and culture of the local indigenous population provide the only lasting visual record of their lives.

These remarkable images made a significant contribution to the development of science and remain an invaluable record of the artists' attempts to make sense and order of this new land. The book is published to tie-in with a major new art exhibition of the same name opening at the Natural History Museum in spring 2012.