Hidden Treasures With Betty Churcher -  First Fleet Sketches

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 - First Fleet Sketches

First Fleet captain John Hunter copied the work of young First Fleet midshipman George Raper to produce his famous sketchbook showing life in Botany Bay. Raper's own First Fleet paintings, begun in 1788, show his skill and fine eye for detail in capturing the birds and flowers of NSW. They were acquired by the National Library of Australia in 2004 after lying undiscovered and undisturbed for more than 200 years in an English manor. While Hunter, who became the second Governor of NSW, didn't share Raper's talents with a paintbrush, both men shared equally an excitement and enthusiasm for recording what they found in Sydney Cove in 1788.