de Labillardiere and his peregrinations

In 1792 French botanist de Labillardiere sailed to Western Australia on the ship Recherche. An unusual exhibition about his journey has opened at Wanneroo Library: Peregrinations of a Citizen Botanist.

Local textile artist Susie Vickery became fascinated with Labillardiere and tells his story in the form of a one-third size puppet and his wardrobe. All his clothes are decorated with beautiful and intricate embroidery, with designs based on the flora he encountered.

The buttons are objects gathered in the West Australian bush. The clothes are all coloured with natural dyes.


There are some moving images on my Instagram account and these give a better idea of the exhibition. This pianola with its perforated paper rolls depicts the ship moving across the ocean. It is operated by foot pedals: a truly interactive experience:

Here the botanist lies in his hammock sick with scurvy and clutching salt bush as a cure:

There is a cabinet of curiosities, with drawers full of surprises:







He has plenty of hats!

Visit Suzie Vickery's website for more information. It's fascinating:

click here

Much more about de Labillardiere in this scholarly article:

click here