Australia Philately: 1986 Flora of Cook’s Voyage

Banks had two artists on him. Alexander Buchan died during their stay in Tahiti so the task of graphically recording the startling botanical finds rested solely with Sydney Parkinson.

In order to acomplish this monumental task Parkinson developed a kind of artistic shorthand. He drew outline sketches of the plants, but filled in the detaila nd colour of only one or two leaves or flowers. In this manner over 400 sketches were made as they cruised up the coast. After leaving Australian waters the Endeavour sailed to Batavia where Parkinson contracted a mysterious disease which he failed to recover.

In the aftermath of the voyage, Banks began one of the most ambitious projects in publishing history. He commission a series of watercolours to be prepared from Parkinson’s sketches; in all 362 paintings of Australian plants were completed. From these a set of engraved printing plates were prepared. Banks poured thousands of pounds into the venutre which still had not been completed when he died in 1820.

For ages, the printing plates lay in storage in the British Museum. Only within the last few years was the project revived and the printing of Bank’s Florilegium finally completed – more than 200 years after it began.

The set of pre-stamped envelopes, titled “Flora of Cook’s Voyage” features the same four botanical speciments as found on the stamps. Whereas the original Parkinson sketches and the subsequent waltercolour adaptions appear on the stamps, the pre-stamped envelopes reproduce the engravings, by courtesy of the British Museum (Natural History). The engravings are reproduced in monocolour on the envelopes, although the Florilegium has now been printed in full colour.

Details

Date of Issue: 27 May 1986
Withdrawn Date:
- 30 September 1986 (unpostmarked envelopes)
- 25 March 1986 (first day of issue envelopes)
Designer: Sandra Titcher, Australia Post Graphic Design Studio
Printer: Mercury-Walch, Division of Davies Brothers Ltd, Hobart, Tas.
Process:
Colours:
Paper: 100gsm Riegelcote
Set: 4 of 4
Quantity: