Monday October 9, 2006
Early European observations of Australia's fauna
Frederick McCoy’s Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria set out to describe the colony’s fauna. Published between 1878 and 1890, it included illustrations and text on 447 individual species. At least 250 more species were printed but never published and a further 500 were drawn.
Drawing on Museum Victoria’s rich archival sources, Caught and Coloured: Zoological Illustrations from Colonial Victoria explores the legacy of this great project.
Original drawings, lithographic proofs and manuscripts bring to life the work of both McCoy and the artists he commissioned.
