Sydney Heads - New South Wales
Artist
Eugene Von Guerard
(1811 - 1901)
Date1867
Object number00000896
NameLithograph
MediumLithograph on paper
DimensionsMount / Matt size: 520 × 700 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis lithograph captures the wide open space of Sydney with the harbour at its centre. Vaucluse Bay is on the left with Watson's Bay and Sydney Heads at the right, and the road to the South Head in the foreground. The topography appears tamed and cultivated with a strong European influence.
This lithograph is one in a series of 24 of Australian scenery and is the only known work of von Guerard's to depict Sydney. The original painting is held by the Art Gallery of NSW.HistoryEugene von Guerard (1811-1901) was an Austrian born artist who spent a considerable amount of his career in Australia. He arrived in Victoria during the gold rush in the 1850s but found more success in the colonies as an artist. Von Guerard is recognised for his grand landscapes of Australia and is an important figure in Australian art history.
Sydney 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 was 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 and not just a penal site and supported plans to build a structured and ordered town.SignificanceThis lithograph is an expression of the European experience in a new land. Von Guerard has captured the physical landscape of Sydney Harbour but has imposed a romanticised European view.
