TitleEtching "Botany Bay, 1788"Date1987About this objectCreated as part of a special commission for Pierre Roussel, President of the La Perouse Association, this work is one of three etchings produced by Pamela Griffith during the Australian Bicentenary (1987-1988). The prints were presented in recognition of support for the establishment of the Friends of La Perouse.
Griffith’s etching depicts the French explorer Lapérouse standing in uniform at the shore of Botany Bay, holding a rolled scroll beside a chest and tray. Behind him, La Boussole and L’Astrolabe lie at anchor beneath a sky filled with cloud. To the right, seven sailors disembark. some onshore, others still in their boat, evoking the moment of arrival in January 1788, just days after the First Fleet. The scene is framed by native vegetation, including grass trees, anchoring the historic encounter firmly in the Australian landscape.Object No.88.109Physical descriptionThe etching is no 90 out of an edition of 150. Black and white depicts Boussole and Astrolabe at anchor at Botany Bay. In centre foreground Laperouse stands in uniform holding a rolled scroll. At his feet is a chest and a large rectangular tray. He is flanked on either side by bushes and grass trees. To the far right are a total of 7 sailors. One is on shore holding a sack and another is stepping ashore. Five sailors are still in the boat. In the distance is the mouth of Botany Bay with the heads. Either side, clouds fill the sky.CreatorGriffith, PamelaInscriptions & marks"90/150". "Botany Bay, 1788". "Jean Francois de Galaup de Laperouse with La Boussole and L'Astrolabe". Signature of the artist.Place madeSydney, NSW, AustraliaSourceLa Perouse MuseumAcquisition date1988On displayNoTypeMuseum objectsOrganisations (Detailed entries)La Perouse Museum (La Perouse, N.S.W.)ThemesEuropean arrivals
