History Revisited Limited Edition Archival Giclee, Australian Fauna, Port Jackson, Governor Arthur Phillip, 1789, Spotted Opossum, Peter Mazell

"Spotted Opossum, 1789"

The stilted pose of the Spotted Opossum, balancing on what remains of a felled tree (a sign of the future demise of its own habitat), is due the artist not being able to study the live specimen back in London. Due to the "Tyranny of Distance" only skins of animals and birds were sent back to England to be scientifically identified, categorized & interpreted by a taxidermist. The Port Jackson possum was mistaken for the North American opossum. While both are marsupials, opossums and Australian possums are only distantly related. Opossums belong to the family Didelphidae, while Australian possums belong to the family Phalangeridae. They evolved separately and are found on different continents.

Governor Arthur Phillip and the Port Jackson Colony: After the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788 botanists & amateur naturalists set about gathering specimens to send back to London. It is a testimony to European fascination with botany and zoology for this publication to be prepared so soon. Captain Arthur Phillip was the Governor of New South Wales from its settlement in 1788 until returning to England due to ill-health in 1792. "Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay with an account of the establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island" was originally published in 1790, a significant record of the new British colony’s fauna and flora based on his dispatches and other official correspondence of the establishment identities at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island, before his return. Mistakenly named an "Opossum", due to its resemblance to the known North American inhabitant, Peter Mazell engraved the original copper plate in London and it was printed by John Stockdale of Piccadilly in 1790.

Size of approximately image = 20cm x 27cm

Archival Edition Limited to 200 each image. Issued with numbered certificate.