Natural Curiosity

A sense of awe swept through natural history circles in 18th-century London when the first ships returned from Sydney with their cargo of exotic animals, birds, and plants—and striking watercolor illustrations. The sudden emergence, in 2011, of a large number of these watercolor illustrations has revealed much about the early years of the colony. In Natural Curiosity , Louise Anemaat uncovers never-before-published works from the artists of the First Fleet, including convicts-turned-watercoloris