Smoking out the opossum.
Primary Artist
Matthew Dubourg (1786–1838)
Title
Physical description
plate from Field Sports &c. &c. of the Native Inhabitants of New South Wales, published by Edward Orme, London, 1813
Source
'Field sports...of the native inhabitants of New South Wales'. London: Edward Orme, 1813
Page or Plate number
plate 7
Reference
Ferguson (1941-69, 1986), 577
Date made
1 October 1813 (imprint)
Place made
London, Greater London, England View on map Close map
Category
Print type
intaglio
Technique
etching and aquatint, printed in black ink, from one copper plate; hand- coloured
Matrix size
22.1 × 17.1 cm (printed image) 23.5 × 18.4 cm (plate-mark)
Support
cream wove paper
Support size
28.0 x 22.5 cm (sheet)
State
published state
Impression
undesignated impression as issued
Edition information
print run unknown
Subject description
Group of Aboriginals smoking out a hollow tree with burning grasses in order to catch native Australian marsupials for food.
Collection
National Gallery of Australia
IRN
68378
Accession number
87.814
Accession method
Curator's allowance
Meeting
Meeting 9, 1986/87 (1987-05-21)
Provenance
Purchased by the Australian National Gallery, from Manuka Antiques, Canberra, May 1987.
Credit line
Purchased 1987
Country of context
Australia
Creators
Dubourg, Matthew. | (1786–1838) British | Male | etcher
Clark, John Heaviside. | (1770–1863) Scottish | Male | print after
Orme, Edward | (1774–1848) English | Male | publisher
Last Updated
12 Feb 2026