Our adopted country. To the memory of the lamented heroes of the Victorian exploration 1861

At first glance, Henry Short's painting appears to be yet another still life painted by an immigrant English artist drawing on inspiration from Dutch 17th-century paintings. However, Short is using the still life style to reinforce the myth that grew out of the failure of the Burke and Wills expedition. The myth-making began as soon as the fate of Burke, Wills and Gray reached Melbourne on 2 November 1861.