Sydney in 1886

Maker John Sands

Datec 1886

Object number00001177

NameLithograph

MediumPaper

DimensionsOverall: 432 x 515 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionThis lithograph illustrates four chronological views of Sydney demonstrating a century of growth. It was published in John Sands' 'The new atlas of Australia' (1886). The views are titled 'Settlement at Port Jackson, 1788' (taken from a drawing by Governor Hunter), 'Sydney in 1802', 'the old tank stream (looking towards Sydney Cove)', and 'Sydney in 1886'.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.SignificanceThe first centennary of European settlement in Australia was the subject of great pride and the focus of official celebrations. Some sense of that pride is captured in this illustration of the growth of Sydney in the first one hundred years of European settlement.