Sydney Parkinson

Sydney Parkinson

Sydney Parkinson was a Scottish artist and draftsman who lived from 1745 until 1771. He was part of James Cook’s ‘Endeavor’ crew on their first voyage to explore the Pacific Ocean. Parkinson signed up as the crew’s principal botanical illustrator, though he captured much more than that. 

Parkinson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1745. His family were Quakers. He showed artistic promise at a young age and left his apprenticeship at a wool draper to pursue his art. He moved to London in 1767 where he became employed as a botanical illustrator with the wealthy naturalist, Sir Joseph Banks.

In 1768 when James Cook was gathering a crew for his exploratory mission to the Pacific Ocean, Banks supplied several “scientific gentlemen” including himself and Sydney Parkinson. Parkinson was the principal botanical illustrator, but the artists John Frederick Miller, Frederick Polydore Nodder, and John Clevely were employed as well. The crew sailed in 1768 and were the first Europeans to make contact with the indigenous populations of Australia and New Zealand. 

Parkinson created almost 1,000 pieces of art during this voyage, including sketches and watercolor paintings. Mostly working on board the ship, his colleagues continually brought him hundreds of plant specimens to sketch. He worked as quickly as he could before the plants wilted, outlining them and notating colors when in a hurry, to fill in during slow times. He was the first European to document many exotic animal and plants, including kangaroos. He drew animals, plants, marine life, and landscapes. Parkinson was also the first to display a rendition of the indigenous Māori of New Zealander from direct observation. His drawings were detailed and included the tattooing and ornamental practice of the Māori warriors. He also compiled a list of native vocabulary.

Parkinson died in January of 1771 of dysentery on the return voyage home, while traveling between Java and Cape Town. He was just 26 years old. Posthumously, his brother, Stanfield, collected his artwork and in 1773 published his drawings in a book, A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas. In 1988, all of his drawings from his voyage were published. The seabird, Parkinson’s Petrel (Procellaria parkinsoni), was named in his honor.

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