Labillardière

Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (1755–1834) was a French botanist who trained in France and England under Le Monnier and Banks. He made several voyages abroad to collect and examine exotic flora.

In 1791, Labillardière joined Bruni D'Entrecasteaux’s expedition to search for the missing ships of La Perouse. As naturalist on board this expedition, Labillardière collected hundreds of specimens of Australian flora. On his return to France, Labillardière published two works based on his voyage: Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse in 1800 – a description of the journey; and Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen in 1804-05 – considered the second general description of Australian flora to be published, after James Smith’s A specimen of the botany of New Holland in 1793.

Many of the botanical plates for Labillardière's works were engraved from drawings made by Pierre-Joseph Redouté. The engraver Augsuste Plee, and his son Victoire, who were responsible for most of the plates in Plantarum Specimen were considered highly skilled artists in their field.

 > View further plates from Labillardiere's Atlas in the Library's catalogue

 > View further plates from Labillardiere's Novae Hollandiae plantarum specimen in the Library's catalogue