Botany Bay, New South Wales.

Rare c.19th aquatint view of Botany Bay in 1820’s looking towards the heads, with an Aboriginal group fishing in canoes and cooking fish on the shore, near the mouth of the Cooks River, by the convict, art forger Joseph Lycett.

Joseph Lycett, an artist, was convicted of forgery in 1811 and transported to New South Wales. He was given his ticket-of-leave soon after arriving and began working as a clerk in the police office but was arrested again for forgery after flooding Sydney with fake 5s notes which he had made using a small copperplate press, later found in his possession. He was sent to the notorious penal settlement of Newcastle and pardoned in 1821 after Governor Macquarie, who had taken an interest in Lycett, sent three of his drawings, including a large view of Sydney, to the then Colonial Secretary Lord Bathurst. It was common for ‘ convicts’ like Lycett to receive more lenient punishment at the hands of colonial authorities. Lycett returned to England armed with a portfolio of colonial views which he published in his Views in Australia in 1824, dedicated to the Earl of Bathurst. Lycett is acknowledged as being one the most important colonial artists to record the progress of the colony.

From Lycett, J. Views in Australia, or, New South Wales & Van Diemen’s Land delineated.. London.

References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 : 974.
Abbey, J.R. Travel in Aquatint and Lithography 1770-1860. London 1972: 570.
Tooley, R.V. English books with coloured plates, 1790 to 1860. Folkstone 1973 : 310.
Wantrup, J. Australian Rare Books. Sydney, 1987 : 218b.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 8037393
State Library South Australia: 994T L981
National Gallery Australia: 35745
University Library Melbourne: 919.44042 LYCE
National Gallery Victoria: Accession Number2008.251
State Library Victoria: RARELTEF 919.402 L 98 V
British Museum London: 1917,1208.25.1-50
State Library New South Wales: MRB/F980.1/L