The botanical artist who sailed on the Endeavour, with Captain Cook,
to South America, Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia.

Sydney Parkinson (1745 - 1771) - the botanical artist on the Endeavour
​

Sydney Parkinson was the botanical draughtsman who accompanied Joseph Banks on Captain Cook's journey on the Endeavour to the South Seas and Australia .

He was the first European artist to
  • draw and paint plants collected from places on the exploratory voyages
  • set foot on Australian soil,
  • to draw an authentic Australian landscape, and
  • to portray the indigenous people from direct observation.

Significantly, Banks's Florilegium would not exist without the work that Sydney Parkinson carried out as botanical artist on the Endeavour
There is very little information about Parkinson online or in books and this site continues to be a work in progress.

This site provides links to places online where you can find out
  • more about Parkinson,
  • the voyages with the Endeavour and Captain Cook, Jose[h Banks and Daniel Solander; and
  • what happened to the drawings and paintings when he returned to the UK - including the development and publication of Bank's Florilegium

An overview of Sydney Parkinson
​

Biography

Sydney Parkinson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1745 and was originally a woollen-draper.

He studied drawing and became proficient at drawing plants and flowers. He decided to move to London to improve his education and experience.

Joseph Banks then became a significant person in what happened next.  First, a young Joseph Banks discovered and then hired Parkinson to draw plants at the botanical garden at Kew.

The Voyage of the Endeavour 

In 1768, he was hired by Joseph Banks as the botanical draughtsman to draw the plants on the next voyage on the Endeavour with Captain Cook to South America, Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia. Initially he was accompanied by Alexander Buchan, the topographical draughtsman - but he died in Tahiti and it's clear Parkinson also took on some of the work Buchan would have done.

Sydney lived and worked on board ship (not a level surface!) in a small cabin surrounded by hundreds of specimens. In Tahiti he was plagued by swarms of flies which ate the paint as he worked.  You can read more about the voyage in his Journal (see below)

On the return trip the ship Endeavour was besieged by illness and Sydney Parkinson contracted dysentary at Princes Island, on the way to Cape Town.  ​He died on January 26th 1771 and was buried at sea. Banks paid his outstanding salary to his brother.
Picture
Portrait of Sydney Parkinson (1745–1771), botanical artist. It was the frontispiece to Parkinson's Journal of a voyage to the South Seas
Banksia integrifolia watercolour from Banks' Florilegium
Banksia integrifolia watercolour by Sydney Parkinson from Banks' Florilegium

Commemoration

Apart from his artwork being archived and published (see below), Parkinson is commemorated through the naming of:
ONLINE REFERENCES:
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
  • Rex Rienits, 'Parkinson, Sydney (1745? - 1771)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, Melbourne University Press, 1967, p. 314.
  • Britten, J. (ed.), Illustrations of Australian Plants Collected in 1770 during Captain Cook's Voyage, London, 1905. [detail]
  • Rienits, R.; Rienits, T., Early Artists of Australia, Sydney, 1963. [detail]
  • Smith, B., European Vision and the South Pacific, 1768-1850, Oxford, 1960. [detail]
  • J.H.Maiden Sir Joseph Banks: the Father of Australia (1909);
  • M.Rix The Art of the Plant World (1981);
  • D.J.Carr Sydney Parkinson: Artist of Cooks Endeavour Voyage (1983);
  • J.Phipps Artist's Gardens (c.1986);
  • L.deBray The Art of Botanical Illustration (1989);
  • J.Kerr The Dictionary of Australian Artists (1992);
  • W.Blunt & W.T.Stearn The Art of Botanical Illustration 2nd edn (1994);
  • C.Mills Images from Nature (1998);
  • T.Rice Voyages of Discovery (1999); H.Hewson Australia - 300 Years of Botanical Illustration (1999)

Sydney Parkinson's artwork
​

After very many years, Sydney Parkinson is finally getting recognition for the very valuable work he performed on such an important voyage of discovery.

Parkinson completed
  • 280 finished and botanically accurate paintings and
  • over 900 sketches and drawings.

​His works have been commemorated in
  • the 35 volumes of a published Florilegium (Banks Florilegium) and
  • in digital form by the Natural History Museum (see below for more about these)
Picture
Banksia dentata watercolour from Bank's Florilegium

​The Endeavour Botanical Illustrations of Sydney Parkinson
​

Sydney Parkinson made the first sketches of the plants which were encountered and collected on the first journey around the world on the HMS Endeavour (1768-1771) - a voyage of historical significance and scientific discovery. His role was as artist working with Joseph Banks and Carol Solander.

The Endeavour Botanical Illustrations are now located at the Natural History Museum (The link is to an image gallery of botanical art from the first voyage of the Endeavour.)

The Endeavour illustrations were once part of the famous Banksian Collections which were given to the British Museum's Trustees in 1827. However the British Museum's Museum's Department of Natural History - and the associated collections including the plant and animal specimens with their directly associated artwork and documents  - relocated to South Kensington in the late nineteenth century. The new site became known as the Natural History Museum.

Since then the NHM has developed a microsite for all the materials which tell the story of the journey which are now archived at the Museum. It's also possible to make an appointment to view the artwork.
The Endeavour Botanical Illustrations relate to the following countries - the links provide a list of illustrations and/or associated images
Parkinson created nearly a thousand drawings and painted studies while working in difficult conditions.

At the beginning of the voyage he was able to keep pace with the discoveries being made.

However as the voyage progressed, the number of new specimens being found overwhelmed him and he had to adapt the way he worked in order to keep pace!  

​He completed sketches and coloured these in part so as to indicate the colours seen. The herbarium specimens returning to the UK would have course lost most if not all their colour as they dried and the colour sketches were needed to help make sense of them.
Below are a couple of watercolour-on-paper drawings attributed to other artists and based on Parkinson's work.  
  • The original study would have been drawn and at least partly coloured by Sydney Parkinson who, for example,  was present when Banksia ericfolia was first collected at Botany Bay, Australia.
  • Other artists were the engaged to complete Parkinson's original studies or create new watercolours based on Parkinson's sketches.

The latter exercise was undertaken as part of the process of creating the work for the Banks's Florilegium - which is the next part of the story.....
Picture
Pōhutukawa, (Metrosideros excelsa), collected at Tolaga Bay, New Zealand, during Sir James Cook's first Pacific voyage on the Endeavour, 1768-1771. Coloured engraving, ink and watercolours on Paper.
Picture
Banksia ericifolia watercolour from Bank's Florilegium
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM REFERENCES

The Natural History Museum has developed various web pages to explain how they came about.The following links to further information are all from the Natural History Museum website
  • Introduction & The Voyage - The Botany Library at the Natural History Museum holds all of the surviving botanical artwork from Captain James Cook's first Pacific voyage on the Endeavour. Represented are works of the artists Sydney Parkinson (1745-1771), John Frederick Miller an
  • The Collections - Parkinson's sketches finally made up 21 large bound volumes.Description of the scale and the enormity of the task facing Sydney Parkinson
  • People - Short bios of Cook Banks Solander and Parkinson
  • Illustrations Pictures from Cook's first voyage - 43 illustrations from the Natural History Museum Picture Library
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY SYDNEY PARKINSON
OTHER REFERENCES
Joseph Banks' Florilegium: Botanical Treasures from Cook's First Voyage
​by David Mabberley, Mel Gooding, Joseph Studholme
THIS NEW BOOK is PUBLISHED 19th OCTOBER 2017

​I've not seen it yet as it isn't published until 19th October 2017

This is the first time these images have been published as a book for the discerning botanical art fan. This is an exceptional book.
It's also not a cheap book.
Banks commissioned more than 700 engravings between 1772 and 1784 following his return from his voyage around the world with Captain Cook.

These engravings are known collectively as Banks’ Florilegium. However the Florilegium was never published in Banks’ lifetime (read the story above )

In 1990, a complete set in colour was issued in a boxed edition (limited to 100 copies) under the direction of the British Museum.

For this book a limited set of full colour plates has been chosen for publication. The book includes a total of 175 illustrations (including black and white)
  • Expert commentary on each plant and plate is provided by botanist David Mabberley
  • Text relating to "The Making of Banks Florilegium II" historical background of the voyage and project is provided by art historian Mel Gooding
  • Joe Studholme describes the history of the modern printing.

​Hardcover: 320 pages
Artwork: 175+ illustrations in color and black and white
Size: 10.5 in x 14 in
Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd; 
Publication date: (1st edition): 19 October 2017

PREORDER IN UK
PREORDER IN THE USA

Sydney Parkinson's Journal
​

A JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH SEAS, IN HIS Majesty's Ship, The ENDEAVOUR.
Faithfully transcribed from the Papers of the late SYDNEY PARKINSON,
Draughtsman to JOSEPH BANKS, Esq. on his late Expedition. with Dr. SOLANDER, round the World.
EMBELLISHED WITH Views and Designs, delineated by the AUTHOR, and engraved by capital Artists.
LONDON:
Printed for STANFIELD PARKINSON, the EDITOR:
And sold by Messrs RICHARDSON and URQUHART, at the ROYAL-EXCHANGE; EVANS, in PATER-NOSTER Row ; HOOPER, on LUDGATE-HILL ; MURRAY, in FLEET-STREET; LEACROFT, at CHARING-CROSS; and RILEY, in CURZON-STREET, MAY-FAIR.
M.DCC.LXXIII.
Picture
Detail of drawing by ship's artist Sydney Parkinson, made in June 1770, showing James Cook's Endeavour being careened on the beach at the mouth of the Endeavour River in Far North Queensland, Australia, in order to repair damages after having hit the Endeavour Reef (part of the Great Barrier Reef) on 11 June 1770.

​Banks' Florilegium - with drawings and paintings by Sydney Parkinson
​

Banks' Florilegium takes its name from Joseph Banks.

It comprises 743 botanical line engravings, which were created based on the watercolour paintings and drawings from nature made by Sydney Parkinson on his journey with Banks and Daniel Solander on Captain James Cook’s first voyage round the world, 1768-1771.

Banks employed Sydney Parkinson to travel with him on the voyage and make drawings of the plants and animals collected by Banks and on the voyage.

​The artwork is the expedition record of the plants collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Dr Daniel Carl Solander in Madeira, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, the Society Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Java.

His artwork now resides in the Botany Library Collection. 

Between 1771 and 1784 Banks hired 18 engravers to create the copperplate line engravings from the 743 completed watercolors at a considerable cost of 7,000. The Florilegium was not printed in Banks’ lifetime and he bequeathed the plates to the British Museum.

All but a few of the 743 copperplate engravings have survived to the present day, despite air-raid damage to the British Museum in September 1940.

The great Florilegium of his work was finally published in 1988 by Alecto Historical Editions in 35 volumes and 100 editions. Alecto Historical Editions used the " la poupe" technique of colour printing from copper plates.
​
The engravings have also been digitized and published online by the Natural History Museum in London.

Below is a Natural History Museum video about printmaker Katrina van Grouw who talks about the work of illustrator Sydney Parkinson and shows how she uses metal-plate engraving to print and reproduce his work.
Picture
This is a watercolour-on-paper drawing of Banksia serrata. The work would have been heavily based on a partially coloured sketch by Sydney Parkinson, Sir Joseph Banks' botanical artist who was present when the species was first collected at Botany Bay, Australia.
It is not known whether the drawing was completed by Parkinson, or whether it was delivered unfinished for completion by one of the London artist employed by Banks for that purpose.  The painting is attributed to John Frederick Miller who was thought to have completed the work that Parkinson started.
REFERENCE​

Parkinson's other drawings from the Endeavour Voyage

Parkinson's Drawings of New Zealand

Sydney Parkinson produced many drawings of the natives of New Zealand with tattoos. Sydney Parkinson's drawings can now be seen at the British Museum London, England.
Picture
"House and Plantation of a Chief of the Island of Otaheite." by Sydney Parkinson (reproduced as an engraving)
Finally - a little more about the role of Sir Joseph Banks as a natural history scientist in relation to the Endeavour and the purpose of its voyage.
Note: All images sourced from Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons
Parkinson's Natural History Drawings

​Natural history drawing was a new discipline at the time of the voyage of the Endeavour. Zoology was very much a new branch of knowledge - as was botany. The emphasis was very much on drawing botanical specimens.
Parkinson was the first European to observe and draw a kangaroo, the Australian landscape and natural history and Australian Aborigines
Natural History Museum
Picture
A kangaroo by Sudney Parkinson (engraved later). This kangaroo was seen at Endeavour River on 23 June 1770.
MORE Past Masters - Botanical Art and Illustration
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