Research of Ferdinand Bauer watercolours at the London, Natural History Museum

Sat 6/08/2011

I lost the 4th due to rain and lingering travel problems, but the 5th (Friday) was extremely productive. Using my Oyster card plus the Google Maps travel advice I braved the London Bus system to go to the Natural History Museum. I had emailed ahead but to no avail, so decided a "frontal attack" or rather person to person negotiation was at least worth a try. The Lonely Planet describes the crowds at the Museum as "crazy" at any time, so I went early in the morning just after opening. The Lonely Planet was right, even at that time I joined an entry line that snaked back a few hundred metres.

Once inside I was very lucky in that an information/customer-service woman was free and she guided me to the Museum's library/archive and introduced me to the staff. I could not have got through the security door otherwise and would have wasted the trip to London. I had already prepared all the documentation and identification that I anticipated I could be asked for (with multiple authorized photo-copies) so I was able to be registered as a "Reader" and could therefore get access to the archives. The Library staff were truly helpful and cooperative throughout this process. I had to all intensive purposes "dropped out of the Blue" so they were most generous.

The original Ferdinand Bauer zoological paintings/drawings were archived in large green box/folders and could only be handled with rubber gloves. I was allowed to photograph selected artwork (no flash) but was required to sign a non-commercial exploitation agreement. There is another, larger archive of Bauers' botanical drawings/paintings that I did not view.

All up I photographed 14-15 plates of the marine specimens he recorded (these were the most brightly coloured "tropical" specimens (see photo). I will research the correct scientific names later. The aim was to see the originals to determine the artistic methods used and as an aesthetic "seed" for my later paintings in response to the body of work produced during the "voyages of discovery" to Australia in 1801.

Of particular interest to me was his record of Portunus pelagicus (Sand crab) as this crab was the focus for my marine biology PhD dissertation. The photo-realistic accuracy of Bauer's painting is breath-taking; even down to the setae on the swimming legs.