12 Facts About Sydney Parkinson

Sydney Parkinson was the first European artist to visit Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti.

Sydney Parkinson had a brother, Stanfield, and a sister, whose name was Britannia.

Sydney Parkinson's father died in 1749, leaving the family in financial difficulties.

Sydney Parkinson began to give drawing lessons, and the Scottish nurseryman James Lee, a fellow Quaker, employed him as teacher to his daughter Ann.

Sydney Parkinson produced copies of some animal paintings in the collection of Joan Gideon Loten, which were later published in some of Pennant's zoological books.

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Together with a fellow artist, Peter Paillou, Sydney Parkinson worked for Banks on the latter's collections from his 1766 voyage to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Sydney Parkinson produced drawings and watercolour paintings of animals, from specimens preserved in alcohol or stuffed birds.

Sydney Parkinson was employed by Joseph Banks to travel with him on James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific in 1768, in HMS Endeavour.

Sydney Parkinson made nearly a thousand drawings of plants and animals collected by Banks and Daniel Solander on the voyage.

Sydney Parkinson had to work in difficult conditions, living and working in a small cabin surrounded by hundreds of specimens.

Sydney Parkinson died at sea on the way to Cape Town of dysentery contracted at Princes' Island off the western end of Java.

Sydney Parkinson is commemorated in the common and scientific name of the Sydney Parkinson's petrel Procellaria parkinsoni.