Australia, Queensland, Endeavour River Thomas Cook / Duret / Parkinson, 1774, Vue de la Riviere d´Endeavour sur la Côte de la Nouvelle Hollande..

18th century copper engraving showing the first known landscape drawing of the east coast of Australia. A View of the Endeavour River, on the coast of New Holland, where the ship was laid on shore, in order to repair the damage which she received on the rock. Engraving by Duret (signed) drawn after Sydney Parkinson, (ca 1745-1771).

Sydney Parkinson was a Scottish Quaker, botanical illustrator and natural history artist. Parkinson was employed by Joseph Banks to travel with him on James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific in 1768.

Parkinson made nearly a thousand drawings of plants and animals collected by Banks and Daniel Solander on the voyage. He had to work in difficult conditions, living and working in a small cabin surrounded by hundreds of specimens.north-eastern coast of Australia discovered by Cook in 1770, showing the Endeavour River and the Endeavour Strait, so named by Cook after his ship was careened and repaired on the banks of the river following grounding on a coral reef offshore, the site of present day Cooktown.

From the first French edition of the Official Account of Cook's voyage to Australia, Paris, 1774.

Published in the 1774 French edition of Hawkesworth's 1773 account of Cook's voyages.
It follows the 1772-1773 English edition engraved by William Whitchurch and published in 1773.

Very good, small repair/reinforcement of the central fold and in the outer left margin, with very minimal impact on the image

Image 20x33,5cm, page 25x39,5cm