The voyage of the HMS Investigator from 1801 – 1803 shed new light on the natural history of Australia. Captain Matthew Flinders had selected an Earnshaw chronometer as one of his mission-critical chronometers for the voyage. Flinders and his crew mapped the Australian coastline, studying plants and animals along the way. Aboard the Investigator was Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826) who was appointed natural history artist for the voyage. Brothers Franz and Ferdinand Bauer achieved great acclaim and contributed immensely to the study, record and understanding of botany and nature. Stunningly precise works that were almost photo-realistic in their accuracy were their hallmark Relatively unknown during their lifetimes, the Bauer brothers are recognized as pioneers of scientific Natural History illustration.
