Hidden Treasures With Betty Churcher -  South Sea Islander In London

The National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library with over nine million items in its collection, including a surprising number of art works. Yet visitors to the Library glimpse only a fraction of the collection with many fragile items unable to be placed on permanent display.

Former director of the National Gallery of Australia, Betty Churcher, presents an insider's guide to some of the Library's art treasures, which are rarely on public display. From her unique vantage point, Churcher makes intriguing historical connections between paintings and engravings, photography, manuscripts and artefacts, illustrated journals and diaries.

These are fascinating tales about the creative process and the works themselves that offer a tantalising insight into Australia's culture and heritage.

Episode 7 - South Sea Islander in London

A young Tahitian warrior named Omai was enlisted as a crew member during Captain James Cook's second circumnavigation of the world. On his arrival in London in 1774, he was welcomed into the highest social circles. England's most sought-after 18th century painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted his portrait in 1774, for which a rare sketch is held in the National Library collection.

While Omai eventually returned to the islands, his story inspired a spectacular pantomime at Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, with costumes designed by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, which brought ethnographic realism to a somewhat farcical plot.