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The entrance of Port Jackson, and part of the town of Sydney, New South Wales
The entrance of Port Jackson, and part of the town of Sydney, New South Wales

The entrance of Port Jackson, and part of the town of Sydney, New South Wales

Artist (British, 1785 - 1829)
Date1823
Object number00000882
NameAquatint
MediumHand coloured aquatint print on paper.
DimensionsOverall: 121 x 162 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThe view from Observatory Hill of Sydney Harbour after Major James Taylor showing the entrance of Port Jackson, and part of the town of Sydney, New South Wales. First published by R. Havell & Sons in 1823. This aquatint is a copy of a section of a panorama of Port Jackson originally created by Major Taylor of the 48th Regiment. It is highly idealised, emphasising neatness and order, showing private residences, workers in a field and the harbour with many sailing vessels. The original image was part of a panoramic view of Sydney published in London in 1823. HistorySydney Cove was established by Governor Arthur Phillip when he arrived with the First Fleet on 26 January 1788. The cove was named in honour of the British Home Secretary, Thomas Townsend, Lord Sydney and chosen as the site of settlement over Botany Bay because it offered both fresh water and a secure place for ships to anchor. Phillip described Sydney Cove as having 'the best spring of water, and in which the ships can anchor so close to the shore that at a very small expense quays may be made at which the largest ships may unload'. He aimed to establish a flourishing colony not just a penal site and supported plans to build a structured orderly town plan. Early development in the cove consisted of basic housing and some public buildings. Convicts lived in timber huts and tents prior to the construction of the Hyde Park Barracks in 1819. A stone quarry was established where the male convicts worked and a number of farming plots were cultivated. Major James Taylor (c.1785-1829) arrived in Sydney in August 1817 onboard MATILDA. During his time in the colony of Sydney he created watercolours. He accompanied Governor Macquarie to Tasmania and documented the settlement. Little of Taylor's work remains; however, upon his return to London in 1822 he arranged to have the panorama of Sydney printed, which is now a valuable record of the colony in the early 19th century.SignificanceThis work provides a visual record of early settlement in Sydney Cove, demonstrating the activities undertaken by the inhabitants and the type of dwellings that were established in the colony by 1825.