Auckland’s site has always been its best feature. Its fertile soils, temperate climate and twin harbours attracted relatively dense Māori settlement – attributes which also explained its appeal to European settlers. Arcadian imagery dominated pictorial views of colonial Auckland. This 1877 painting by Alfred Sharpe shows Auckland set in a lush pastoral landscape – the city itself is barely visible.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference:
C-126-001
Watercolour by Alfred Sharpe
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou