31/8/2015 Paris

31/8/2015 Paris (last 5 days)

Up early and got four days of supplies from local Supermarket. . The Spanish Maison opens tomorrow and so does their dining room, so breakfast (petit dejeuner) and lunch (dejeuner) are taken care of; that is if I have read the French signs correctly. Only fly in the ointment is that I managed to talk my way in last time (as a resident of the nearby Maison du Provinces de France). I think that was because I was polite, unlike a lot of their students, and they simply got used to me as a regular customer. Technically I am pretty sure it is for residents and visitors (of residents), at least at the reasonable student prices.

Last day at the MNHM library so I will confirm/edit my photograph captions and check their catalogue one last time for anything I may have missed. I am pretty happy I have got everything I need for the MA project in terms of seed images and areas that I should retrace the artist journey. This is based on William Westall’s landscapes on the East coast and Petit/Lesueur’s landscapes/coastline profiles on the West coast.

I think Brown’s diary (biologist on the Flinders voyage) will be worth tracking down, although not a source of images it is a source for where they landed and where Bauer did his sketching. This was the "hint", both from the London NHM librarian, and from my own reading. Information on where Petit/Lesueur paintings were done can be derived directly from their Atlas and from (English translation) Baudin’s journal.

Arrived at 2.00 pm and both MS1722 & Ms1728 were available. I went through MS1722 and located the missing photo (I have no explanation for how this happened). I checked MS1728 and located the confusion in numbering (and marked one photo as missing). I photocopied four pages (in French) from Roux and Bonnemains (1984) “Les poissons  du Voyage de decouvertes aux Terres Australes (1801-1804) etudies per F. Peron et C.-A. Lesueuer”, Annexe 1, that related directly to catalogue numbering of the drawings/paintings from the Australian voyage held at La Havre. I only got to see part of the collection of these images during my feasibility study trip. 

Luckily for me J. Bonnemains, with a variety of co-authors, has published images of the full Le Havre collection in a number of French and English sources. I have seen all these publications, plus examples of the original works of both Lesueur and Petit, as well as located the published compilations of their 1801-03  artwork, so I have completed the basic task I set out on.

According to the ever helpful  (and patient) librarians, apparently, I can check the MNHM catalogue online and “copy screen” to get a record, rather than copy by hand. I will do this back in Australia. 

At 4.30 pm I said my goodbyes to the library staff and was off. Usual Bus trip back to the Cite and then a quite beer to celebrate a job well done. Tonight I transfer copies of everything onto both my external hard-disks for safekeeping i.e., three levels of redundancy.

30/8/2015 Paris (Sunday)

30/8/2015 Paris

Sky clear, weather warm. I have a "free day" so I thought a bus ride into the "Tourist heart" of Paris and a walk along the Seine. Luxembourg Gardens on the way back maybe. First things first; I need to recharge my Navigo Card at the RER station.

Recharge went seamlessly. A notification came up re the "all zones now covered" so I checked again with the RER Info desk, I got an English speaker and we went through the deal and yep I can get to Versailles without having to pay extra (except the entry fee of 15Euro).

Following that success I jumped a bus to the Louvre, or rather the Seine River Ferry dock just below the Louvre. I found this dock as I was strolling along next to the river on what would have been the tow path for the barges and is now a paved walk/cycle way. After reading their signs I paid my 16 Euro for an all-day, hop-on/hop-off, trip to all the major Paris destinations; Eiffel tower, Louvre, D'Orsay, Notre Dame etc., plus a beautiful day on the water.

I started early before the real crowds so at least in the morning had a very pleasant time cruising past all the landmarks. I stopped off at the D'Orsay Museum for a few hours then caught the Ferry back to the Louvre in the late afternoon. This reduced my exposure to the crowds but it is still "Tourist season".   There is a real contrast between the cloister-like atmosphere of the Cite, with no students resident yet, and the Paris centre with its teeming tourist "Hordes".

Back at my room I said some goodbyes to departing summer residents, made myself a late lunch/early dinner and settled down to work on the computer.

29/8/2015 Paris (week end)

29/8/2015 Paris

Saturday morning; doing my laundry early to miss the rush. I got new sheets from the front desk so I will have clean linen tonight. Somehow I missed the official change last week and it is now 14 days since the last change. (Actually the Maison info sheet says bed-linen is changed every 15 days ???? so I was just about right with my request.) There was a note in the lift saying that as there were a lot of residents moving out this weekend normal cleaning would be suspended on Monday, which is why there was no demur when I asked to change my own sheets.

The Sun is fighting to get out from behind the clouds so it has the potential for a nice day. Waiting around a bit for the dryer etc., but the Cafe may be open at 10.00 am on Sat. If so Coffee and a croissant! No Cafe so I headed over to the RER station to get information.

I had a win: I needed to find out how much it will cost me to get to the Charles de Gaule Airport for my flight to St Petersburg. At the RER information booth I was told in broken English that for September only there is a "Nouveau" offer, my Navigo card will give me travel on all sections including section 5 to the Airport! They gave me a brochure in French, which I took back to the Cite and asked a couple of residents if the could explain the deal to me. Basically the same story!

I finish up at the Museum on Monday and fly out on the Saturday the 5th September, so the timing is excellent. Section 5 also includes Versailles, which I will try on Tuesday 1st September. If it is "free" I can also try a dry-run to CDG airport to reconnoitre the Aeroflot departure area in Terminal 2C. (Normally a 20 Euro round trip). I am told CDG is big, busy, beautifully styled, but functionally confusing. (Sounds typical French; and part of it collapsed soon after it opened!) 

I have started the research field-trip report for SCU. Based mainly on my daily blog but I will include insights from the feasibility trip in 2011. The two trips together have given me a sound platform to proceed with the next phase of the project, which will be the retracing of sections of the 1801 artists journey(s).

28/8/2015 Paris

28/8/2015 Paris

8.0  am weather is overcast and cold. Today is a "free day" as the Museum research archive is closed to me and I have all my notes/database up to date. I will try out the RER to Charles De Gaulle Airport and if possible for the D'Orsy Art Gallery.

Well the "tasks" did not go entirely to plan. An Internet check and then a visit to the RER station information/ticket desk turned up a special 10 Euro ticket to CDG Airport, separate to my Navigo card. A return would be two singles or 20 Euros, which converts to about A$32. Just a bit high for a reconnaissance. The information person did not understand "return ticket" for a journey that is always one-way! I did find out that I could use the RER to get to Versailles. That does have a return ticket but again it is not covered by my local Navigo card.

By this time my frustration level was elevated so I jumped on a Bus 21 at the Cite Stade and went for a tour. I hopped off at the Tuileries and Carrousel gardens next to the Louvre and walked through them onto the Champs Elysees, then down to the Arch de Triumph. This is one impressive walk! Designed for military parades but now full of open-air restaurants it still emanates grandeur. The weather cooperated thankfully, it was cool but not raining and even sunny at times. I think I have done this walk or parts of it each time I have come to Paris.

I will skip the louvre this time, given I will be visting the Hermitage, but I want to get to the D'Orsy and the Pompidou galleries.

27/8/2015 Paris

27/8/2015 Paris.

It is raining again. Did some useful things on the computer in the morning then walked across to the Cafe at exactly 12.00 pm and ordered a "Menu 7 EU" which consisted of; a can of drink, bread, a cheese and ham omelette with vege or salad and chips, and a slice of apple tart. Then the "hordes" arrived but I had got my order in and was fed by about 12.30  Killed some time then headed for the Bus and the Museum. Started at 2.00 and was done by 4.00 pm.

Getting very close to the end. I ordered a couple of manuscripts for Monday (I cannot get into the research section on Fridays) but that will be it. I need to double check the names on some of my photographs, given that Bonnemains et al used independent experts to identify species from Lesueur's paintings. I may have more work to do on my catalogue as I used Lesueur's species names on the drawings  (and that also explains why the species in the manuscript do not line up with Bonnemains et al Le Havre species list).

Although I had finished relatively early it seemed to take just as long to get back to the CITE! Still standing room only on the bus. It was also still pouring with rain and I was really pleased to get "home" and into dry clothes. I wear my "waterproof" hiking boots when it is raining (otherwise my New Balance joggers do nicely). My feet stay dry but I clump along, squeaking on linoleum, and leaving wet tracks over carpet. Neither the raincoat nor the daypack are really waterproof, however, which is a problem as I carry the camera and my laptop in this pack. Really good in all other respects but not in the rain.  

I have the weekend coming up so I need to plan some sight-seeing/art galleries.

26-8-2015 Paris

26-8-2015 Paris

The exchange rate has been "volatile"; it now takes A$1.62 = 1 EU, or A$1 = 0.62 EU, which is down from two days ago and way down from the start of my trip planning. Not critical but a concern. When I consider the price of food, travel, whatever I simply multiply the EU price by two to get me in the ball-park of the real cost (exchange rate plus Card fees). I checked my Qantas Cash Card and transferred the residual British Pounds into Euros. These were at a good exchange rate when loaded but the $2.3 fee per ATM transaction makes the point moot. There is no free lunch when dealing with the finance industry.

Up early and had a breakfast (Chocolat croissant and coffee) at the Cite' Cafe, then loaded images from my camera and phone onto the computer and added captions. Linking the XL spreadsheet entry, made when I took the photo, to each image from the camera/phone has thrown up an anomaly. I may check with MS 1737 again to verify my records. All previous links have been seamless, so I think the phone camera may be the problem. Convenient but!

Arrived at MNHM at 2.0 pm as arranged and they had the 4 volumes of Freycinet's “Voyage De Decouvertes Aux Terres Australes” 2^nd Edition (rebound). For completeness I went through this version, as well as the original back in 2011. No plates, they are in a separate Atlas and contain mainly maps. Unfortunately the volumes throw no light on the images created by the artists.

I spent the remainder of my visit going through Bonnemains et al 1998 in detail. The task is to determine where best to retrace the original journey as part of a “practice led research” journey, based on what I now know of the French artists methods and images. Bonnemains et al break up the voyage into (a.) Track chart of the vessels arriving in Australian waters and (b.) Track chart of them leaving. Plate 10 page 13 in Bonnemains et al 1998.  There appears to have been considerable interaction with the land (? landings) along the WA coast on both inbound and outbound journeys. Shark bay shows up a number of times in the text on Western Australia and in the Tract charts.  

Finished up at 5.0 pm and caught the bus back to the Cite. A lot more students appearing and more facilities are opening. Summer is just about over. I got am email reminder from CIUP that I leave the Maison du Provinces de France on the 5th August (clean my room, return my keys, have an inspection, etc) so my time in Paris is drawing to a close. Still some time for sight-seeing and visiting the Art Galleries. 

 

25-8-2015 Paris

Now into my second week of the Paris MNHM research and the time has flown. I checked the exchange rate and it is not good but not as bad as I feared; 1A$ = 0.62 EU. Will have to see as the Sharemarket crisis unfolds.   

Up early and clear skies so I hopped on a Bus to go to Montmartre to see the Funicular railway and the superb Sacre Coeur Basilica. No real problem, the 67 bus got me to the Pigale and I climbed the streets/steps to the Basilica. Impressive. I then found the Funicular station and rode the “rack & pinion tram” back down, finding the return 67 bus stop along the way. I suspect the whole railway has been upgraded because it was much smoother than I thought it would be. 

Back in plenty of time to get to the MNHM by 2.00 pm and start on the Lesueur and Petit Atlas of the Baudin voyage. As noted in the Bonnemains et al book, Petit’s finished ethnographic artwork is there and is quite distinct from Lesueur’s work (and style).  This means I have sighted Petit’s original work and can happily refer to both Bonnemains et. al., 1998 and E.T. Hamy 1891. An unusual feature was that the initial visit to Timor is also described in the Atlas.

The J Goy 1995 book, on the Jelly Fish described by Peron and Lesueur, was more difficult. Entirely in French it obviously collated all of the Paris MNHM Library information on "Medusae" with that from the Le Havre Natural History Museum, which makes it invaluable. However I need to get it translated into English, or at least major passages from the important chapters. Goy appears to have followed Lesueur’s later cataloguing by genus. She works through each genus using the available images, but without ordering according to geography or chronology, although she gives notes and a map on where and when each collection/image was made.  An excellent find but it is really a taxonomic text and I am not quite sure how I can use it, apart from as a collated source of finished images from Lesueur’s hand. A pity it was not the fish species/taxonomy that interested Goy.

At this point I have successfully completed the major research tasks I set up, and now need to go back a to my research plan to see how best to use my time. Given the images from both Lesueur and now Petit that I have accessed at the MNHM and through Bonnemains publications are representative, then a further trip to La Havre Natural History Museum would not be productive or at least not cost effective. [Given the falling A$ exchange rate]. I have proved to myself the Bonnemains et. al., 1998 book is my best source of images of the artwork of both Lesueur and Petit. I have seen the originals and supplemented this work with my own photographs of Lesueur’s post-card sized manuscript illustrations, but in reality have simply validated Bonnemains et al 1998 accuracy in terms of the major paintings.  

24-8-2015 Paris

24-8-2015 Paris

Raining heavily and my raincoat is not really up to it. Managed to get supplies during a break in the storms but it is pretty miserable. The Cite Cafe my refuge, was packed with lost souls waiting for a break in the weather. I headed off to the bus stop and the Museum in the rain and got off the other end in the rain. The MNHM was fairly empty, I was the only researcher and the staff seemed thin on the ground. I went through MS1738 as the next in the sequence from 1737, which had been so successful but there was no chronological connection. There were few if any textural or notation references to Australis or New Holland.

I discussed the problem with the MNHM librarians and asked if they had the Peron and Lesueur book on Jelly Fish. They located a book written by one of the Museum curators on this study of "Medusae", which had colour photographs. I did not get to see the original study but they had a copy of the review of it and all of the history surrounding it. When we got it from the (recent) archives it was obviously based on MS1737 and used a number of the plates that I had photographed, but it also used the images held in the Le Havre archive that I had not seen. Written in French, a limited edition with a low circulation, I was not going to find it on an Australian library shelf so I will go through it carefully tomorrow.

The old adage regarding research; "you never work in a vacuum".

I ordered the Peron Report Atlas (with drawings/etchings by Lesueur and Petit) for tomorrow as well. Again this was mentioned in the Bonnemains et al book.

House keeping note. My planned grand birthday dinner was swamped in the rain. I got off the bus into a downpour so made for a local shop were I killed time and bought a cheap bottle of wine. When the rain slowed I headed for a little restaurant I had chosen but they were closed on a Monday. I then headed for the Cite' as the rain was getting heavier. I was soaked by the time I got to my room so dried-off and changed clothes but the rain had not eased. My grand dinner turned out to be a micro-wave and a glass of cheap red in the communal kitchen, then go down and watch TV in French.

[Actually this was not a bad idea as the A$ had dropped in overnight trading, because of the international share-market crash. Euros are now very expensive relative to the start of my journey. I have all my major costs pre-paid and I still have a couple of hundred dollars spending money in Euros on my cashcard so I will make it through the next 3-4 weeks without a major budget blow-out. A bit more expensive than planned but two thirds of the research is complete. ]  

23-8-2015 Paris

23-8-2015 Paris

Predictably it was raining cats and dogs, however I set off for the Bus 67 Stade and did an hour and a half  round trip by bus that took in the Pigalle where I located the Montmartre Funicular tramway, a walking route to the Pompidor Museum, the Louvre, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. All on the route or within walking distance of a stop on the route. It was raining really heavily so stayed on the bus but I will try again on a less wet day. 

I managed another multi-lingual task and that was to recharge my TraveGo transport pass. It cost 21 EU but its convenience makes up for the cost. The recharge machine at the RER station had trouble with my notes and with my Credit card so I went to the ticket office for "assistance". (Not always a pleasant experience with Railway officals). Thankfully it was the machine's fault (someone had been trying to jemmy it??). We used the office machine and my Credit card worked.   Good for another week of local travel.

The D'Orsy museum seems to be best accessed by the RER tain, so I may do a combined exploration of the Charles de Gaul airport/Aeroflot departures  and the Museum on the same day. I do not leave until the 5th September but I like to be prepared, and I have never been to the Charles de Gaulle so a little exploration may be a good thing. 

I had a late lunch back at the Cite and waited for the rain to stop.  A couple of sunny periods so I walked in the adjacent Park, and visited the RER station to check on trains going to Gharles de Gaule Airport. RER Line B second platform looks good as the train stops at both Terminal 1&2 and 3.  I need Terminal 2C. A quick look around, find out the Aeroflot desk, then back to the D'Orsy Museum, hopefully a plan. 

It went cold and dark again, no Supermarkets on Sunday so I jogged back to my room. A bit more laundry (by hand) and run my stuff through the tumble dryer to try to get the wrinkles out. 

22-8-2015 Paris

22-8-2015 Paris

Up about the same time although it is Saturday and no MNHM. I did my washing/laundry after buying what I thought was a small pack of detergent at the supermarket. Traps for new players it was on the right shelf (and at the right price) but it was actually manual pre-soaker, not meant for a machine. Result; soapy residue through all my shirts-underwear-socks. Had had to re-rinse a lot just to get something to wear. Unlike in London everything came out of the dryer stiff and creased. Something definitely got lost in the translation.

Apart from that minor disaster I spent my time photographing some of the building of the Cite and finding bus stops (Stades) so I can do some sight-seeing tomorrow. A fairly lazy day with a little tidying up of photo database and my journal

21/8/2015 Paris

21/8/2015 Paris

The MNHM is closed to researchers today (Friday) so I took the chance to sort and put captions on my photographs. Particularly those from MS 1737. Given the importance as my only real source of the Petit contribution I will need to get formal permission to use the Nicolas-Martin Petit artwork reproductions in Bonnemains et al (1988) for my thesis.

I found " Ill-Starred Captains: Flinders and Baudin"   by Anthony J. Brown, and Tim  Flannery,Fremantle Press, (2004)  528 pages, which may give some more background to the Voyages. Their bibliography is excellent. 

On the "house-keeping" front I managed to negotiate a haircut in broken-french and sign language. It was over 6 weeks sine my last trim and I needed to look "professional" at the MNHM Central Library. After that minor triumph (no mean feat) I used the  free sight-seeing bus I had discovered at the MNHM Gardens, and went to see the Eiffel Tower. I also saw a lot of the major Paris "sights" on the way there and back so it was worth while. A slight problem with up-till-now reliable Sony camera. It simply stopped working; I had to take out the battery and put it back in to reset the operating system so it would turn on and off. A worry but I had transferred all my MNHM images across to the computer in the morning so only my sightseeing shots are "at risk". I suspect it was simply the heat.

My collating and labelling of the MNHM photographs taken so far is complete but the quality is very grey (the downside of the low lighting and no flash allowed in the Library) so I have experimented with the photo editing tools in the PMB software. I kept the original image and made copies to manipulate. It has worked amazingly well but I loose definition with every edit/compression.    

20/8/2015 Paris

20/8/2015 Paris

Broken sleep, up early. Reset computer clock to Paris summer time just to stop my confusion with the watch/bus timetable. Discovered a free sight-seeing bus at the MNHM Gardens, which I will try either today or tomorrow (Friday) while the Museum archives are closed to researchers.

Today's main task is to go through the information on Nicolas-Martin Petit (scant though it is). Secondary task is to check again in Manuscript 1737 for any reference/drawing from Terra Australes or Nouvelle Hollandia. I have seen some of the Medusa paintings in this chapter used in the front page in the official voyage account.

*Special Note 1: It was now obvious that in the latter part of his career Lesueur was collating his drawings and paintings into a taxonomic text-book based on fish genera/order, and the collections of his drawing/painting were donated to the respective museums in that format, not in the chronological or geographic sequence that they were originally produced. This makes actually identifying what artwork/drawings were done during the Baudin voyage very difficult unless Lesueur noted the date or location on the artwork itself, which he only did on relatively few of his works. JB painstakingly noted and catalogued these for the Le Havre collection. It seems from her catalogue that only about 20-30 drawings can be attributed with any certainty to the “landings” in the Baudin voyage. She also identified the drawings from the general “Terra Australes” section of Lesueur's archive (based on dates??), collated into four boxes, which I was able to go through in 2011 attempting to identify the “tropical species” and therefore where on the Australian voyage they were likely to have been produced. Given they did not penetrate very far into the GBR before returning to France most of the Tropical Fish would have come from the Western Australian Coastline. The numbering of drawings in the boxes, particularly in box 4, was higher than that recorded in the published catalogue, suggesting that a second volume must exist.

I have no indication from the Paris MNHM manuscript collection of any of the “Terra Australes” notation used by J. Bonnemains. Either I have not seen those records or the notations were not part of the collection. Going through the MNHM collection again in 2015 I hit the same problems where Leseuer has chronologically scrambled the drawing to fit his genera/order groupings for his text book. There is also very little to guide where each species/drawings was from geographically. Failing better information then the JB categorisation (i.e. Charles ROUX & Jacqueline BONNEMAINS, 1984 catalogue) is likely to be the best available.

*Special Note 2: “Baudin in Australian Waters: The artwork of the French Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Lands, 1800-1804”(1988)  Edited by Jacqueline Bonnemains, Elliot Forsyth, and Bernard Smith. 347 pages Melbourne Oxford University Press. This book contains a comprehensive colour pictorial catalogue of Lesueur’s and Petit’s existing artwork. (Apart from the "post-card" sized drawings and painting in Lesueur’s Manuscripts at the MNHM, which seem to have been missed). 

The Bonnemains et al book essentially describes the full collection of the Le Havre Natural History Museum.   Petit’s work is also documented but not pictorialy in “L’oeuvre ethnographique de Nicolas-Martin Petit per E.T. Hamy (L’Anthopologie – Semptembre Octobre 1891, no 5.) Sighted but not translated at the MNHM however the reference is included in the Bonnemains, Forsyth and Smith book.  (170 drawings/plates described). I cannot find any further manuscripts or drawings at the MNHM Central library. 

Given I have been through the drawings at Le Havre and the comprehensive catalogue edited by Bonnemains et al., as well as the Atlas by Lesueur and Petit (see references at end of this note),  then I have seen all the Nicolas-Martin Petit artwork from Australia that is likely to be available, without going to private collections.

Manuscript 1737. I went through this loose-leaf collection of notes and drawings as thoroughly as possible given that it is written in longhand script in both archaic French and in English and in both ink and later(?) in pencil.  It has been reworked a number of times, based on the layers of pencil notation, so the order of the pages is irrelevant chronologically.

However I did find a reference to Botany Bay and "Australis" in the text, and I found a small pencil sketch of a rowing boat with a man in the bow dip-netting for jelly fish. I the background there are a number of square rigged boats at anchor in what appears to be a substantial harbour. On the back was a (later?) pencil notation of Nouvelle Holland, therefore this could only have been Botany Bay. Leseuer and Peron published a text on jelly fish so possibly the artwork could be associated with that work.

The reference/illustration was the first concrete evidence in the MNHM Lesueur manuscripts of illustrations/art work from the Baudin voyage (plus the illustrations from the Reports and Atlas of the voyage; see below). The provenance of other paintings of fish in the Manuscripts will have to inferred from Bonnemains work at Le Havre.

Extra references sighted (published in French):

Voyage de découvertes aux terres Australes: exécuté par ordre de Sa Majesté l'empereur et roi, sur les corvettes le Géographe, le Naturaliste, et la goëlette le Casuarina, pendent les années 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804; [Historique] publié par dećret Impérial, sous le ministère de M. de Champagny et rédigé par M. F. Péron, ..., Volume 1 18## A Paris, De L'Imprimerie Royale

Voyage de découvertes aux terres Australes: exécuté par ordre de Sa Majesté l'empereur et roi, sur les corvettes le Géographe, le Naturaliste, et la goëlette le Casuarina, pendent les années 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804; [Historique: Tome second] par ordre de son excellence le Ministre Secretaire D'Etat de L'Interieur (redige en partie par feu M. F. Péron) par M.L.Freycinet, ..., Volume 2, 1816, A Paris, De L'Imprimerie Royale.

Voyage de découvertes aux terres Australes: exécuté sur les corvettes le Géographe, le Naturaliste, et la goëlette le Casuarina, pendent les années 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804; Sous le commandement du capitaine de vaisseau N. Buadin [Navigation et Geographie] Par M Louis Freycinet...., Volume 3, 1815, A Paris, De L'Imprimerie Royale

Atlas historique : du Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australes, by Charles Alexandre Lesueur and Nicolas-Martin Petit. Volume 1 (containing the landform profiles and zoological plates)

and Vol II. By M Louis Freycinet. Large-format Charts referred to in Freycinet's Vol on “Navigation et Geographie”

19/8/2015 Paris

19/8/2015 Paris

Up early and I went through my information on the second artist on Baudin’s voyage:

·         Nicolas-Martin Petit

·         Charles-Alexandre Lesueur

Nicolas-Martin Petit and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur both signed on as crew members of the Le Geographe because they were keen to travel to the undiscovered lands of New Holland. Without these two talented young men the expedition’s value would have been greatly lessened, as all three of the official artists resigned from the expedition before it even reached the southern continent. With the English artists, Petit and Lesueur were the first Europeans to portray the land, people, animals, plants and marine life of South Australia.

Nicolas-Martin Petit

Nicolas-Martin Petit was born in Paris in 1777. His family was artistic, and he also studied art. In 1800 he joined Baudin’s expedition and teamed up with the scientist Francois Peron and artist Lesueur to record the Aborigines and fauna of Terres Australes.
Petit’s sensitive paintings of the indigenous people of Van Diemen’s Land, Port Jackson and Western Australia were highly praised by scientists in France on his return to his homeland. His portraits of aboriginal communities are particularly valuable for their accuracy of representation rather than stylised images.
Tragically, Petit died in 1804 in an accident in the streets of Paris, shortly before his marriage was to take place.

Internet sites

Charles-Alexandre Lesueur
Natural History Museum, Le Havre: Lesueur Collection: summarised biographies
Natural History: Voyage of a painter [Charles-Alexander Lesueur]
PictureAustralia

Further sources

Baudin in Australian waters: the artwork of the French voyage of discovery to the southern lands 1800-1804 / edited by Jacqueline Bonnemains, Elliott Forsyth and Bernard Smith. Melbourne: Oxford University Press in association with the Australian Academy of the Humanities, 1988
The Encounter 1802: art of the Flinders and Baudin voyages / [compiled by] Sarah Thomas Adelaide: Art Gallery of South Australia, 2002
Lesueur, Charles Alexandre. Les velins de Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (Museum d’Histoire Naturelle du Havre): exposition du 4 mai au 2 juin 1996. Le Havre, France: The Museum, 1996
Petit, Nicolas-Martin. Oeuvres de Nicolas-Martin Petit, artiste du voyage aux Terres Australes (1800-1804): exposition du 1er juin au 31 décembre 1997. Le Havre: Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Havre, Collection Lesueur, 1997
Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch vol. 66, 1964-65. Mander-Jones, Phyllis. ‘The artists who sailed with Baudin and Flinders.’
Terre Napoléon, Australia through French eyes, 1800-1804, Susan Hunt, Paul Carter, Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales & Horden House, Museum of Sydney, 27 February – 30 May 1999, Sydney, 1999.
Le voyage aux Terres Australes 1800-1804, Ville de Honfleur, Musée Eugène Boudin, 4 Mai-24 Juin, 1996 /conçu par Anne-Marie Bergeret.Honfleur: Musée Eugène Boudin, 1996

I will try to find any more documentation in the MNHM for Petit artworks. The Le Havre Museum had very little that was directly attributed to him in their collection (or so I was told). The curator considered that most had been (incorrectly) attributed to Lesueur over time.  

Again I started at the MNHM at 2.00 pm but this time I was allowed to bring my Camera. The manuscripts I worked on yesterday were there and I took about 98 photos in all as I worked my way back through them. A selection of "tropical fish" with Lesueur's nomenclature and any geographical notes that there was on the drawings. There are at least two and sometimes three layers of annotation in pencil, which look like Lesueur's hand. The latest ones are in English, the rest are archaic French.
Lesueur appears to have reworked the drawings a number of times over the years.

My literature/archive search for Nicolas-Martin Petit turned up very little (in comparison to the Leseuer collection). I have ordered two books for tomorrow, and will see where that takes me. 

I finished just before 6.00 pm and made my way by crowded bus back to the Cite and dinner.

18-8-2015 Paris

18-8-2015

I was not due to start at the MNHM until 2.00 pm so used the morning to get EURO's at a Bank ATM via my Qantas Cashcard and to look for a shop selling simple cutlery/cooking utensils.

The Bank was relatively easy although a surprising distance from the Cite (when it is open there are ATM's in the main Cite administration building). No luck with the utensils. At the moment I am using disposable plastic spoons/forks from the microwave TV dinners.

I had one win, I called past the on-campus Cafe, in the basement of one of the Maisons, and it was open! I think there was a major conference being held somewhere in the Cite and it was worth their while to open early. Had my first coffee since leaving London. Reduced hours, breakfast and lunch. only but it is open.

Grabbed a TESCO equivalent sandwich, for about the same nominal cost, from a local Supermarket. My favourite market is closed for renovations so I have had to "venture out" a bit. That was lunch "on the go" as I hopped on the 67 Bus and headed for the MNHM.

I got there at about 2.00 pm and was let in to the archive section. There two manuscript boxes waiting for me so I hooked up my laptop and got to work. To my surprise the lady opposite was using a camera so I asked had the rules changed and yes they had. I can photograph the drawings/paintings that I am interested in. Excellent news.I ordered the same manuscripts for tomorrow but I will bring the camera.

After working my way through the two manuscripts I was struck (again)  with how difficult it was to place the drawing in any one time and place. I reviewed my notes from 2011 (feasibility tour) and it was now obvious that towards the end of his career Lesueur was collating his drawings and paintings into a taxonomic text-book based on fish genera/order. The drawing/painting collections were donated to the respective museums in that format, not in the chronological or geographic sequence that they were originally produced.

This makes identifying what artwork/drawings were done during the Baudin voyage very difficult unless Lesueur noted the date or location on the artwork itself, which he only did on relatively few of his works. Jacqueline Bonnemains, the previous curator of the Lesueur collection at Le Havre, painstakingly noted and catalogued these for the Australian voyage. It seems from her catalogue that only about 20-30 drawings can be attributed with any certainty to the “landings” in the Baudin voyage. She also identified the drawings from the general “Terra Australes” section of Lesueur's archive (based on dates??), collated into four boxes, which I was able to go through last time, attempting to identify the “tropical species” and therefore where on the Australian voyage they were likely to have been produced.

I have no indication from the Paris MNHM collection of any of the “Terra Australes” notation used by Ms Bonnemains. Either I have not seen those records or they were not part of this collection. Going through the MNHM collection again in 2015 I hit the same problems where Leseuer has chronologically scrambled the drawing to fit his genera/order groupings for his text book. There is also very little to guide where each species/drawings was from geographically. Failing better information then the Le Havre categorisation (i.e. Charles ROUX & Jacqueline BONNEMAINS, 1984 catalogue) is likely to be the best available. 

Working from the Le Havre drawing to the small paintings in Lesueur's manuscripts allows at least some of the "Terra Austrles" species to be identified.

17-8-2015 Paris

17-8-2015 Paris

Good sleep and I have a true "en suite" so did not have to search the corridors in the middle of the night for the shared loo. I "moved in" in a more permanent way than at Pembridge Hall, possibly because I had more space. Unpacked the suitcase, hung-up my shirts, and spread-out across the useful sized desk..

Up early and caught the office staff at 9.0 am when they opened; formally identified myself, signed all the appropriate forms, and got the much needed photo ID card and Internet user name & password.

I then made my way to the Paris NHM via the number 67 bus. Usual difficulty in finding the building, but I had Google Map'ed it so had the right search image. I got to the security officer then reception desk before they found my paperwork and I was "inducted". They checked my University credentials mainly, then issued my readers pass for the next month.

The archives are only open to researchers from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm and all manuscripts must be ordered a day in advance, so I booked two volumes of Lesueur's manuscripts for tomorrow and headed back to the Cite.

At this point it had been highly productive and successful. While on a roll I tried the Supermarket for a "Universel Adaptateur" recommended by the Cite office to connect into their power points; logistically the last link I needed to be fully functional. While there I got basic supplies, a couple of TV dinners, breakfast cereal and milk, and some fruit. I also bought lunch; a half baguette, filled with cheese.

I got a jolt when I found that all the food-outlets on campus would not open again until September, just as I will be leaving. I will need to get some basic cooking utensils to survive. I made another run to the supermarket at the next shopping corner but it was the same chain and same alternatives. Picked up shampoo and fruit juice, no plates, cups, or cooking stuff. After that I napped in my room for a bit and wrote the blog.

16-8-2015 London-Paris

16/8/2015 London-Paris

Little sleep the night before my Eurostar journey, but was already packed and had all maps/routes sorted. Up at 5.00 am, shifted my bags downstairs and had breakfast. I gave away my London maps, timetables, etc but packed a spare microwave dinner into my suitcase, just in case nothing was open at the Cite when I got there. The reception showed-up at about 6.00 am so I handed in my keys and headed off to the Bus 390 stand. I was early so had to wait a bit but was on my way around 7.00 am. The Bus took a while to get to St Pancras due to roadwork's/diversion; not a major delay and I had tons of time, so it was not a worry.

St Pancras was a case of "hurry up and wait"! I got through passport, security, boarding OK but then had to sit and wait for the train. We were finally called for boarding and the crush headed up the “travelator”, a moving inclined walkway. Because of the pack I tipped backwards onto the crowd behind, which was embarrassing to say the least. I scurried away to my seat, throwing the suitcase into the overhead rack and “sitting” on my backpack. As it turned out that was a very good tactic given the problems other groups had trying to find space for their luggage. [They had not realised their luggage would go with them rather than going into a cargo hold, as on an aircraft].

Three hours went by very quickly but I had time to walk three carriages back to the “dinning car” to buy a single trip ticket for the RER to take me from Gare du Nord to Cite Universitaire. So far so good. Gare du Nord however was another story. I had virtual “walked” the station using the Internet so had a basic idea of directions and landmarks, but it is big and very busy. I managed to follow the signs down two floors to the RER in the basement. I knew it was Line B I had to take (and not the platform saying "towards the airports"). I jumped on a train that seemed to be going in the right direction (along with half a million other passengers) and quickly checked the route map over the door. I had been right and the Cite was one of the intermediate stops on this line. Duly reached Cite stop, standing all the way, and exited the train station right opposite the entrance of the Cite International Universitaire. 15 minutes later I was signing in with security (no office staff) and getting my room key at the Maison des Provinces de France. Very nice big room but not air-conditioned. 

I had brought a towel (needed), but not cooking implements nor cutlery (also needed). There is a communal kitchen but you have to bring everything with you. I went looking for a supermarket but on a Sunday afternoon it was a forlorn hope. I had my microwave curry for lunch and a take-away taco for late dinner. I did manage to negotiate my TRAVIGO bus/metro/train pass at the RER station. This means for a week I have unlimited local travel

After dinner I searched my computer files (no Internet yet) for Paris bus information and decided a 67 bus should take me to the Paris NHM.  

15-8-2015 London

15-8-2015 London

Up early for a quick breakfast. Started reviewing the data/report from my last visit to the Paris NHM to find the gaps. I had to move to the kitchen because my room was due to be cleaned, so I did my full laundry while I waited.

An “almost” fine day. I got my washing done  and had breakfast while it dried. I gave away a half-box of washing detergent and started packing my suitcase with clean clothes. There are free irons in the laundry so I ironed shirt collars and the worst of the creases. (Not overly domestic!)

I got an email back from Paris saying that the security officer of the Maison de Provinces de France would have my room key when I arrive on Sunday. I can book-in after 3 pm according to my paperwork.  I sorted all my Cite de International Universitaire paperwork into one folder in my backpack ready for Paris. I also loaded my journal and London NHM photos onto an external hard drive for back-up. The blog is up to date but I have not loaded images (because of intellectual property concerns). I stated in the forms I filled out and signed at NHM that the purpose of the photographs was for research and the publication would be in my thesis/exegesis.  

I reviewed the files/manuscripts that I had gone through last time I visited the French Natural History Museum, Central Library, to provide an initial list of manuscripts that I will need to request. There will be no photographs allowed, only photocopies by the Museum staff at cost(?).  Things may have changed so I will need to be flexible. It was a “nostalgic interlude” but I will need to check what else they have on file/archive for Lesueur.

Easy lunch, eating up my spare supplies. Grabbed a shower/shave and put on a clean shirt for a walk in the park.

I walked through to the NHM and "donated" all my small change prior to going to France. I walked back through the Imperial College faculty/department building for old-times-sake. It is a good place to stay and to work.

In the late afternoon I packed my suitcase and my backpack. I also walked to Tescos for a pastry and triple checked my Bus stop for tomorrow morning. I checked the Internet for directions through the Gare du Nord from the Eurostar platform to the RER platform for the Cite. 

"Re: Access to RER B towards Cite' Universitaire at Gare Du Nord

The RER station is under the rail station, 2 levels down. Every RER B going south (Robinson or St. Rémy) will stop at Cité Universitaire. And if you really want to be clever, you will get on at the front of the train, because the exit is at the front at Cité Universitaire, and it is equipped with both an escalator and an elevator (but it is almost at street level anyway).

Your stop might be Cite Universitaire, but the train line end-point ("Direction") will be Robinson/St Remy les Chevreuse - - this is how the signage reads in the tunnels so you go to the correct side of the platform. (the wrong direction is to Mitry-Claye/Aeroport Charles de Gaulle)."  

14-8-2015 London

14-8-2015 London

The plan for today is to get to the National Archives and to Kew Gardens if possible. Both targets are on the same Tube line/station. The weather forecast is bad but I will use the Tube to keep out of the rain as much as possible. The Gardens are open to the sky so I will get wet.

Early breakfast (I had bought some cereal) and a quick chat with a tourist who had visited the Gardens recently. I will check out the Bus 390 stop again on the way to the Notting Hill Gate Tube station.

Excellent day. The Tube was a bit expensive at 3.75 pounds each way, change trains at Earl's Court which was not a problem. I got to the Kew Gardens station and headed off to the National Archives first to carry out some genealogical research. Good result and out about 2.30 pm.

I then made my way to the Kew Gardens, Library and Archives. I introduced myself and asked to view any of Franz Bauer's illustrations/artwork. This was Ferdinand Lukus Bauer's brother who made his career at Kew Gardens, illustrating and painting botanical specimens. I wanted to compare the work of Franz, done in the stability of London, with that of his brother who travelled to New Holland on a leaky wooden square-rigger.  Both were exceptionally good at capturing the detail and the subtle colouring of their specimens. I saw 10-12 coloured etchings/drawings by Franz. There was also at least one original painting/drawing by Franz that was comparable to the NHM plates that I had seen by Ferdinand. No photographs, because I had not organised a formal visit/permission but I had got the information I needed.

A remarkably talented pair. There was a portrait of Franz in the foyer as you came into the reference library so Franz was well respected.

Logistically, I got as wet as I thought I would but the transport connections worked well. I was back at Pembridge Hall by 4.30 pm, changed into dry clothes/shoes and eating Dinner by 6.00 pm. No Proms concert but I did need to shop for dinner and for tomorrows food as well. Only one day left in London.

An interesting note; the entry cost for Kew Gardens was going to be 15 pounds, before I asked to see the Library/Archive staff. As it was I could not have “walked” the gardens as it was raining heavily. I spent my time dry, looking through the archived artwork, which had no charge.

13-8-2015 London

13-8-2015 London (Grey skies - rain showers)

I have been very lucky so far with the weather but today is "mixed". My plan is to walk to the Science Museum and possibly call into the VA Museum, depending on the length of queues/crowds. This afternoon I will try for the National Archives and genealogy records.

Before starting today I checked out Bus 390 on the Internet, which apparently goes to the Kings Cross- St Pancras Eurostar station and is a 24 hour Bus that runs on Sundays. It is a straight-through trip and maybe a better option than the Tube.

The plan was to check the Bus stand for the 390 Bus. From the London Transport map this should go from Notting Hill Gate station to the Kings-Cross St Pancras Eurostar station in one journey. I was up early on a rainy morning and found the right Bus stand, with a sign showing its route/timetable and that it will get me to the Eurostar at the appropriate time.

Excellent find that somehow was missed by both Google Map and by the TFL trip-planner website. Double checked on the Web and it goes every 10-15 min after 9 am, prior to that it departs every 30 min approximately. I will get the 7.30 am 390 Bus which will get me to  Kings-Cross St Pancras by just after 8.00 am for passport/customs/boarding of the 10.25 train to Paris. [In hindsight I used my Pembridge Hall address as the starting point for the Trip-planner rather than the Notting Hill Gate station, which gave a different set of options.]

After a quick MacDonalds breakfast (I had run out of cereal) I walked across the park to the Science Museum. It started raining so I was damp but the Museum was interesting. The downside was the over-powering number of Mums & Dads with very small children.

I finished up by 3.30 and made my way (by Bus) through the rain to Pembridge Hall for a late lunch. No VA museum due to crowds and that I was very wet. Dried out and used the computer/Internet until Dinner time. Did not even consider the Proms due to the rain (although I could almost guarantee I would have got to the front of the Gallery line; i.e., soggy but with a good view).

 

12-8-2015 London

12-8-2015 London

The plan was to visit the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery (which was subject to an industrial strike). I used the buses to get there and almost get all the way back. There was a detour because of road works which meant a stop at a unscheduled bus-stop and a walk into the unknown, following my instinct and a basic tourist map. Getting back was even more difficult because the return bus-stop simply was not there, so I walked to Hyde Park corner where I knew I could catch a bus back to Pembridge Gardens. Luckily it was not raining.

The Portrait Gallery was fully open and was worth the effort. The painting ranged from photo-realistic to abstract (and even 3D sculptures). The National Gallery was only partially open and what there was seemed to emphasize religious iconography or historic landscapes. Cynically the only parts that were fully operational were the concessions (restaurant and café) that were operated by contractors.

I walked/bussed back in time to grab a quick lunch/dinner and walk to the Albert Hall to line-up for a Gallery ticket to the Proms. I got towards the start of the line and for some reason a number of people did not come back to claim their spots so I got an excellent rail position in the Gallery. Two Ravel pieces, a modern cacophony, and Stravinsky’s “Firebird”: home by 10 pm but only after a scare with my Oyster Card on the returning bus. False alarm (red light on meter) as there was enough funds on the card, but the prospect of having to walk home through Hyde Park at night was a recipe for disaster. I did a quick visual check and there was no pedestrian traffic on the paths beyond the well-lit gates.

A chat to some other inmates and then off to bed.

11-8-2015 London

11-8-2015 London

Up early and used the Tube to test the "alternate" route to Kings Cross-St Pancras Eurostar station, which also puts me within walking distance to the British Library and the British Museum (plus the London University Brunei Gallery); i.e., “the museum mile”.

I avoided the Victoria line by taking the Central to Holborn then the Piccadilly line to Kings Cross-St Pancras. The transfer on the way to the St Pancras station will be a pain due to a suitcase (up and down escalators) but it  looks like I will be able to use a lift, at least at Kings Cross.

The British Museum was huge and crowded but I did get to see the bust of Sir Joseph Banks. Spent a fair amount of time going through the public rooms/exhibitions, but like the NHM, the real gems would be in the archives.

I did a quick visit around the British Library and the “Pacific missionary” exhibition at the Brunei Gallery. I had completed a walking tour of the “Museum Mile” to get back to Holborn Tube station, it was spitting rain so I went back to Pembridge Hall for a late Lunch.

I did some more random walking in the Notting Hill area, between showers in the evening, and caught up with the newspapers in the Local library. Called into chemist for “flu” medication (inevitable given the crowds), had dinner and an early night. I will look at what concerts are on at the Proms for “one more try” before I go to Paris. 

10-8-2015 London

10-8-2015 London

Up early as usual. Weather was fine with a few clouds, which was good for my trip to the Tate Modern. I took the Tube and no real transport problems. Turned left where I was supposed to and found the Millennium Bridge, which crossed the river to the monolithic Tate Modern. I went to all the free Galleries first then paid to see the Agnes Martin collection.

An eclectic mix of contemporary art with even a "mandatory" Andy Wharhol, Marilyn Munroe, painting. It was a case of the good, the bad, and the ugly, depending on your tastes. Contemporary art is "all things to all men". The Agnes Martin works were my stand-out on the day; regular gridded patterns on canvas in muted colours. The pencil line grids vibrated across the underlying painted surface. The notes said she struggled with schizophrenia but you could see definite signs of obsessive compulsive disorder in the rigid repeated patterns.

I ate a Booths sandwich lunch in the river view area of the Gallery but had returned to Pembridge Hall by 3.o pm. The holiday crowds finally defeated me as there was almost no quiet, contemplative, spaces. I wrote up the visit in the blog and journal then had a proper meal at 5.0 oc.    

After dinner I checked on the route I would need to take to get to the Eurostar station (St Pancras International) next Sunday. The Victoria Line was being repaired/updated so I will need to sort out a Bus route, rather than take the Tube. Two Busses and one change, should get me there but given I will have a suitcase I will definitely start early. [Strike is off so an alternate Tube route as an all weather option is more likely]

We have a group of USA teenagers staying now which complicates watching TV. They stay up even later than me!!

9-8-2015 London

9-8-2015 London

Again a “lazy day”, I did a “random” walking tour of the Notting Hill area, walked through Hyde Park, and visited the Serpentine Gallery. I bought a Booths sandwich and sat in the park people-watching while I had a picnic lunch in the sunshine. Sun bathers everywhere and it is still fairly chilly.

Back at the Penbridge Hall I found that my laundry basket, which I left on top of the dryer while waiting for it to finish its cycle, had been nicked! I did a quick tour of the common rooms but there was "nobody there". Mystery! I got a new one from the reception after I explained what had happened. Not too unusual apparently, and they have appropriate signs re security, but a laundry basket!!! 

  
After a cup of tea I went back to work but I nearly went blind putting captions on my photographs and updating my journal/blog so decided that a session at the Proms might be a good idea. Beethoven Symphony No 5 seems like an extra good idea.

Got a bit lost in Hyde Park walking to the Albert Hall so did not get in the front of the line. Two hours in the line up for the 5 pound Gallery tickets was not enough!! That is three times I have done this with wait times varying around 1.5 to 2 hours and not really got a view; maybe I should just buy a seat ticket. 

The concert was very good and the crowd fun. The usher had to stop two idiots taking flash photos of the orchestra ("no cameras" info is on tickets, signs, etc). They only had "mobile phones" so thought it would be alright, and expected the usher to believe them. I saw another woman surreptitiously positioning a fairly sophisticated mobile phone to take a video of the performance. Amazing! 

Caught the No 52 Bus back to Penbridge Hall, chatted with fellow inmates for a bit then went to bed. Good nights sleep.

8-8-2015 London

8-8-2015 London

Saturday, NHM closed and there is no longer any point in the Cambridge Uni Library research (as the Westall drawings are at the Australian National Library).

Lazy day just doing laundry, tidying my room to allow for the weekly cleaning/linen supply, shopping for food supplies, and shifting kitchens as they are systematically renovating various parts of Pembridge Hall, (even with paying guests in place). You are politely told to shift and that the noise will stop at 5.00 pm.

I am well ahead on my research schedule, given the Royal Commonwealth Society archive Westall drawings has been sold to Australia, so can plan some tourist sight-seeing.

As part of my personal "house keeping" I checked my bank accounts and the debit card is not making excessive charges but my Qantas cashcard account shows a second ATM fee of 2.60 pounds. It seems I cannot withdraw my own money without paying extortionate fees! Traps for new players.

I also dipped into the Portebello Market crowd, which is two streets down from Penbridge Gardens, but was totally intimidated by the crush. I did find a Local Library in the next street and signed-up so I could read the newspapers and use their Internet. I still had all my ID on me from the Cambridge Uni Library so the procedure was straightforward and easy (to the surprise of the Librarian).

I tossed up going to the Proms but chose an early meal and watching TV. The Portobello markets means crowded public transport and badly behaved street-crowds so getting to and from London proper would be a pain.

[Good news, just got an email saying that the multi-authored ecosystem model, that I had to send extra data for last week, has been submitted to Science!]

7-8-2015 London-Cambridge

7-8-2015 London-Cambridge

Up at 5.30 am to shower and pack my gear for the Cambridge Uni Library trip. I had an early breakfast and double checked my Cambridge journey using Google map and the Library website. I caught a Number 52 bus just after 7 am, and got to Victoria Station by about 7.25 am. I then had to find the Victoria coach station, about 7 min down the road. I was in the Coach station sitting in the appropriate platform for my bus by 7.45 am. 8.00 am all the current buses left and I had a seat while waiting for the 8.30 National Express Coach to Cambridge. So far so good.

The Coach Station was a lot like the Greyhound Terminals in the US; originally built 50-80 years ago, now in a bad part of town and with an unsavoury cast of “residents”. [Take a train next time.]

The prior bus was a bit late departing which made the Cambridge bus a few minutes late, so a private tour bus “jumped” into the empty slot. When the Cambridge Bus arrived it had no platform (i.e., more delay). We finally got away, running a good 10-15 min late, and the delay was compounded by the heavy traffic, hence we got into Cambridge a good 30min late for my appointment even before walking the "maze" of streets to the Library. The added wrinkle was the Coaches do not stop at the Bus Station but at a separate "Coach" area 400 m away. My 15 min walk, as suggested by the Library Website was only from the Bus Station and only if you made no wrong turns. I was a full 1 hour late at the Library front desk after walking the extra distance and taking numerous dead-ends, plus the bus being late of course.

Unfortunately all my emails had gone to naught as the key person was away. No Westall documents were ready for me, so more delays.    

They did find documents in the Royal Commonwealth Society archive that dealt with the book of Westall’s drawings (and this file contained the photographs of the “coloured” drawings of some of his coastal profiles, which I photographed). These images filled out my collection of his artwork made in Australia, as I already have photos of his major landscape paintings courtesy of the UK MOD.

I also tried for three boxes of “drawings” (according to the Cambridge Uni Library catalogue) as well. However, these boxes only had correspondence concerning  the printing of the book of Westall’s drawings. Checking through the "Westall Committee" correspondence I found the note that in 1969 (5^th of March) the drawings had been sold to the Australian National Library. 

Ironical to say the least but that was the only way I could track the fate of these drawings. There was considerable correspondence and proofs for the published "Drawings of William Westall" but not the actual drawings. 

I made it back to the Coach area by 4.30 pm, detouring for nostalgic visits to St John's and to St Catherine's  colleges, where I had stayed previously on Visiting Scholar visits. St John's is as magical as always but Cambridge was nigh on impassable with tourists during the holidays. 

A "replacement bus company" Coach arrived at the scheduled departure time and we left for London (with a slightly uneasy feeling). Arrived in London at about 8.0 pm and I headed for the bus dropoff points at Victoria Station (basically the reverse of getting to the Coach Station in the morning). I found the Bus 52 stand after some good-humored redirection and was back at my accommodation by 9.0 pm. 

Summarising the day: I got images of some of Westall's Australian coastal profile/landscapes and have tracked where his original Australia drawings are. These are not all his drawings just those that were salvaged from the wreck of the Porpoise. 

6-8-2015 London

6-8-2015 London

Started early and booked my National Express Bus from Victoria Coach Station to Cambridge. Cost 15 pounds but takes 3.5 hours. I had to download the ticket to a memory stick then get the Hall office to print me a paper copy.

If I get the 8.30 bus it will get me to Cambridge City Centre by 10.45, giving me 15 mins to walk to the library (not including getting lost on the way). The Tube is still on strike so I will need to travel to the Victoria Coach Station by surface (Bus 52 then walk). Trains were not affected but getting to the station (Kings-cross or Liverpool St(?)) was going to be difficult as the bus will be used as the alternative to the Tube. I will leave early in the morning in case of heavy passenger traffic using the buses.

After breakfast I walked to the Booths Chemist and bought their sandwiches and a fruit drink (for lunch). I then walked to NHM to finish putting species names to my photos in the PMB photo archive and updated the XL file for 2015. Still need to update the earlier XL list of images.

Worked quickly and was done by Lunch. Was invited to the Staff Caf for lunch and it was pleasant. I will go "home" early to get ready for tomorrow's trip to Cambridge. I will double check all my routes and print them off if I can (or have the computer handy).

Said my goodbyes; the NHM is an excellent place to work as a student/researcher.

5-8-2015 London

5-8-2015 London

Travel (walk) to NHM today to catalogue my photo's .Not a major task but necessary while I still have access to the NHM master catalogues.

The Cambridge Uni Library contacted (Liz) and I have an appointment for this Friday at 11 o'c. There have been industrial strikes on the Tube so the transport system, particularly the trains are in chaos. Therefore  I will travel by Bus to Cambridge but leave London as early as possible.to allow for the extra  travel time. I need to book my tickets online today, now I have a firm date/time.

I have catalogued all my photos now, including species names,  (in the PMB Photo archive) but need to transfer these through to my XL list. A routine house keeping job that can be done later. Finished at 3.30 and walked back to the Pembridge Hall. Early dinner and night.

4-8-2015 London

4-8-2015 London (Tuesday)

NHM is open today and the weather is fine so I will walk through Hyde Park to Exhibition Rd then to the museum. Task today is to see the Bauer botany drawings that I missed and particularly the "extant" finished works from the Vienna drawings as published in:

Erika Pignatti-Wikus, Christa Riedl-Dorn and David J. Mabberley,(2000)

Ferdinand Bauer’s field drawings of endemic Western Australian plants made

at King George Sound and Lucky Bay, December 1801 - January 1802. I: Families Brassicaceae, Goodeniaceae p.p., Lentibulariaceae, Campanulaceae p.p., Orchidaceae, Pittosporaceae p.p.,Rutaceae p.p., Stylidiaceae, Xyridaceae.

Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei, (9), v. 11:69-109 

I would like to try for a one-to-one comparison, [that I was able to do with the tropical fish].

A comparison image, Diuris Emarginata [var Pauciflora] plate 180, was available and I photographed it using both intelligent auto and 'hand-held low-light'  settings on the Sony camera. It will be possible to transfer the numbers from the field-drawings published in Pignatti-Wikus to the coloured finished painting. A good result but that was the only corresponding plate available. I saw and photographed the other botanical specimens from WA that were in the collection.

The librarian Paul suggested looking at a folio that belonged to Sir Joseph Banks, which was a printed book of a limited number of Bauer's finished drawings. All plates were of botanical specimens with some mildew staining and pigment fading, i.e., has not been as well curated as the Natural History Museum archives. These are Bauer's finished etchings, some plain others "coloured", and are comparable to his finished drawings in the NHM archive. An interesting book but not really representative of his huge body of work. (Note the book was produced and signed by Bauer as a gift to Sir Joseph Banks, and had been handled by Sir Joseph Banks, so has an intrinsic historic gravitas.)  

So the bottom line was that with the Diuris plate I have a direct link to the Pignatti-Wikus et al paper so can use their initial coding for my thesis but also expand on it. A nice short paper and an appendix in the thesis/exegesis.

I was running out of puff by about 2.30-3 pm so started to pack-up. Another walk through the park to get back to my digs and maybe pick-up a pastry on the way. I will need to tabulate my photos against the NHM catalogue tomorrow.

Addendum. There was a problem with the time/date stamp on my photos. Obviously the battery had gone flat at some stage and the internal clock had become confused. Initially I suspected that the camera had kept taking photos although the memory card was full but a a quick check showed there was still space available. I went back checking the dates on my latest photos and they were labelled 2011. Problem solved; I used the set-up advice screen to reset the camera date/time. Unfortunately my watch is starting to play up as well; I reset it by the NHM clock but I will probably need a cheap replacement.