From opposite Long Island, Hawkesbury N.S.W. / Ernest D. Stocks

V/324

fonds

1912

Graphic Materials, Drawings

1009521

1 drawing - 38.2 x 59.4 cm - watercolour on paper mounted on board

Ernest Stocks (1840-1921), artist, emigrated to Victoria from England in 1840. His earliest surviving artworks date from 1875 but it is presumed that he started painting well before this. By the 1880s he had established himself as a professional artist and was travelling widely in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Tasmania in pursuit of subjects and commissions. During his lifetime he was admired for his sweeping landscapes and detailed views of private residences and public buildings.
Reference: Library correspondence file

Watercolour depicting Long Island, which lies in the Hawkesbury River about 50 kilometres north of Sydney, New South Wales.

Long Island is joined to the mainlaind at its south-eastern edge by a railway causeway across Sandbrook Inlet. At the other end of the causeway is the suburb of Brooklyn. The watercolour shows the view across the Hawkesbury River to the eastern side of Long Island and beyond. Two train bridges that were built in 1899 and carry the main Northern Line are visible. A puff of smoke on the closest bridge indicates the passing of a train. This bridge was found to be structurally unsafe in 1938 and was replaced by a new bridge sited 60 metres to the west.

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Title from inscription in centre of watercolour

Label on verso of mount: "Bernard's Modern Fine Art Gallery, 430 George Street, Sydney"

Signed 'Ernest D Stocks' in lower left corner

Date from inscription in lower left corner