Darling Harbour

Artist James McKenzie (c 1921)

Date1950s

Object number00045735

NamePainting

MediumOil on masonite, wood, plaster

DimensionsOverall (framed): 415 x 517 x 40 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Colin McKenzie

Terms

DescriptionA painting by James McKenzie of Darling Harbour in Sydney. The painting gives a detailed view of Darling Harbour as it looked over half a century ago.HistoryThe Sydney harbour foreshore is the traditional home of the Wangal and Gadigal clans of the Eora people. They knew the region as Tumbalong and it was a primary source of seafood and shellfish. After the arrival of Europeans much of the Indigenous population were expelled from the region and it developed into the industrial heart of early Australia and became the centre for its export trade. Through the 19th the industry thrived along the shoreline, complete with factories, wharves and rail works. The maritime industry was particularly strong and Darling Harbour, as it was now known, would have the honour of being the site of the world's first full iron wharf and the world's first freezing works. Today, the site of Darling Harbour is primarily a leisure centre and the location for the Australian National Maritime Museum.SignificanceThis painting provides a visual interpretation of an important local maritime location. Darling Harbour has undergone radical changes over the past half century and this representation gives a detailed view of this significant industrial maritime locality.