Postage Stamp of Sydney Parkinson

The Postage stamp of Sydney Parkinson, issued in 2018, marks the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s most famous voyage.

HMS Endeavour

The voyage of discovery was a sailing expedition aboard HMS Endeavour in 1768. Cook and his crew were the first to make European contact with eastern Australia, map New Zealand and accurately observe the transit of Venus.

On the ship were 100 men including astronomers, artists and scientists. Among them was the Scottish Quaker and botanical artist Sydney Parkinson (c. 1745 - 1771).

Parkinson's journey

Many Quakers from the 17th to 19th centuries were drawn towards the natural sciences and botany, the study of plants, because they did not require a university degree. Being a Quaker at this time meant they were often barred from higher education, and so many of those with a scientific interest found themselves working in fields where a degree was not always necessary.

Botany also fitted well with many Quaker principles. Curiosity and care for the natural world, as well as building knowledge of plants and their medicinal qualities, meant Friends were drawn to the forefront of this developing science.

Parkinson began his career by drawing plants in London. The Quaker scientist John Fothergill recommended him to join Captain Cook's crew as one of two illustrators who would record the plants found on the voyage. Unfortunately, the other illustrator died during the early stages of the expedition and it fell to Parkinson to complete the work alone.

In total, the voyage lasted three years and Parkinson sketched over 900 specimens and painted nearly 300 illustrations of plants that had never been seen before in Europe. He also wrote a journal entitled A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas, in his Majesty's Ship the Endeavour.

On the return leg of the voyage, HMS Endeavour stopped at Jakarta for repairs and many of the crew fell ill. Parkinson was among them and he died and was buried at sea. His journal, however, survived the journey and was given to the British Museum.

The spread of botanical knowledge

The network of Friends across Britain and the New World meant that many links were formed in building botanical knowledge. Recording and classifying plants came naturally to the highly organised Society of Friends. Wealthier Quakers were also able to fund Friends who needed to travel in order to further their research.

An example of the Quaker botanical network in action can be seen when William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, transported several trees from Britain to his garden to grow alongside existing indigenous species. These included fruit and nut trees such as walnut and hazelnut.

The aim was to encourage the planning of, in his words, “a green country town.” Most houses built in Penn's new settlement included plots large enough for small orchards. As a result, many streets were named after trees such as Chestnut, Mulberry and Vine, which still survive today.

In 1787, the Quaker William Curtis started the Botanical Magazine, which is still in existence today. The magazine was designed to educate and inform both specialists and the general public about new discoveries.

Teaching about the natural world and environmental concerns became areas in which Quakers developed considerable expertise. Curtis created a botanical garden in Lambeth, London, and other botanic gardens founded by Friends sprang up in Britain and America.

Other notable Friends who worked in botany include the illustrators William Bartram (1739 - 1823) and William Weston Young (1776 - 1847). There was also Graceanna Lewis (1821 - 1912), who produced 50 watercolour representations of leaves in Pennsylvania that won national recognition.

The Postage stamp of Sydney Parkinson was one of six in a set issued by Royal Mail to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's voyage.

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