Artists' Brief

Begun in 1858, Frederick McCoy's Zoology of Victoria project continued for almost four decades, until 1897, until 1897, when the Professor's failing health, Treasury's frustration with his recalcitrant ways and the economic depression of the 1890s conspired to bring the Professor's grand plan to a standstill.

Throughout the project's life, McCoy stuck with a format conforming to that of the scientific journal: 27 x 18cm. Eschewing the 'folio' prints of Gould and the even more extravagant 'double elephant' engravings of Audubon, this choice was both economical and practical; bound volumes of the Prodromus still sit comfortably on a bookshelf today.

While not dazzling the viewer with scale and dramatic compositions, the illustrations commissioned from a succession of artists described the overall form of each species, as well as providing diagnostic details for taxonomic clarity.

Fauna were shown life-size where possible. As was sometimes the case with smaller marine invertebrates, however, they were magnified to make visible subtle identifying details.

Images of large animals were reduced to sit comfortably within page boundaries, often depicted from side and dorsal views. Details of skeletal material or jaws were generally provided, supplying diagnostic information required for identification at the species level.

Printing technology advanced considerably during the project's duration, but McCoy's artistic brief remained consistent. While there is considerable difference between Ludwig Becker's hand-coloured lithographs and the seven-colour prints of John James Wild, the Professor's intent was a constant.

As a result the collection of illustrations, depicting more than 1000 species, can be understood as a coherent whole.