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View of hulks in Double Bay

Artist Mr John Barr Clark Hoyte (Australian - English, 1835 - 1913)

Date1881

Object number00054885

NamePainting

MediumWatercolour on paper

DimensionsOverall: 335 × 385 mm
Image: 145 × 220 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection gift from Shane Simpson AM

Terms

DescriptionHulks were a reasonably common feature of the Harbour in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when, past their useful working lives, trading ships were moored in quiet bays and repurposed for storage, most often for the storage of coal which was messy, dirty and dangerous. The donkey boiler near the mast on this large hulk was employed to help small crews load and unload.HistoryJohn Clark Hoyte 1835-1913 was an English artist who moved to New Zealand and then moved to Australia in 1877 where he was founding member of the Royal Art Society. He specialised in landscapes. In 1880 his views of Sydney Harbour were published by John Sands, in Sedgfield, S & Hoyte, J. C. (John Clark), 1835-1913, Sydney Harbour and its vicinity, featuring six chromo lithographs drawn on stone by S Sedgfield after JCH of Harbour scenes, dated c1880 included a view of The Gap near South Head. Syndey Morning Herald Hoyte, 25 February 1913 Obituary John Barr Clark (1835–1913) By the death of Mr. John Barr Clark Hoyte, which occurred at his residence, 141 Avenue Road, Mosman, on Friday morning, the art world of Sydney loses one of its oldest identities. Mr. Hoyte was born in England in 1835, and received his early artistic training there, but some years of his early manhood were spent in the West Indies. Returning to England about 1860, Mr. Hoyte married, and shortly afterwards decided to go out t0 New Zealand, where some time after his arrival he joined the teaching staff of the Auckland Grammar School. It was about this time that Mr. Hoyte's artistic work began to bring him into prominence. It was not long before he occupied a leading position in New Zealand art circles, and it is as a portrayer of the scenic beauties of the Dominion that he will be long remembered. Right up to the time of his death his work found keen appreciation there. About 1877 Mr. Hoyte left New Zealand, and settled in Sydney. He was one of the founders and the first president of the Royal Art Society, among those associated with him at the time being Mr. A. J. Daplyn, the present secretary of the society. Of late years Mr. Hoyte had been but little before the Sydney art public. He was one of the old school, and found it difficult to adopt his ideas to the conventions of the newer artistic cult. The deceased has left a widow and two married daughters (one daughter having died some years ago), and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/15400595SignificanceThis monochrome watercolour is a vignette of Harbour life in the late 19th century, a quiet glimpse of one of Sydney Harbour's bays, waters and shipping life, especially important because it depicts Harbour hulks that were used for storage after their useful operational lives. The artist John Clark Hoyte emigrated to Australia from New Zealand in 1879 (where he arrived from England in 1860) and was well-known for his marine and landscape views and an early member of the nascent Royal Art Society in Sydney.This monochrome wash from 1881 could be threaded with related collection works to construct a history of the Harbour and Harbour life at time when Sydney's economy was centred around the water. It could also be used to tell the story of the artist, a history of marine views and maritime landscapes, while it also has research potential in terms of identifying the sunken vessels of Sydney Harbour informing the pratice of maritime archaeology.