Foreign field sports, fisheries, sporting anecdotes, &c. &c. : from drawings by Messrs. Howitt, Atkinson, Clark, Manskirch, &c. : with a supplement of New South Wales. (London : Edward Orme, [ca. 1819]) [Purchased with funds from the bequest of Hector Monro]

These hand-coloured aquatints of Australian aborigines were originally published separately as Field sports of the native inhabitants of New South Wales (1813). In 1814 they were issued as a supplement to the larger work, Foreign field sports. A modern facsimile of the original separate publication is also on display (see no. 2)

The plates show hunting scenes, as well as a corroboree and of other aspects of aboriginal life.

The volume is open at a plate entitled, “Climbing trees”. This shows a hunting party chasing possums.

Jonathan Wantrup in his book, Australian rare books, 1788-1800 (1987) makes the case that, though the art work was done in London by John Heaviside Clark, the artist named on the plates, the original sketches were by John William Lewin.

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