Story: City images

The first paintings of towns were topographical depictions by surveyors and amateur artists who accompanied colonising companies. An aim of such works was to encourage further emigration, so artists often made scenes appear more English – and thus more attractive. This painting of the settlement of Wellington in 1841 was by the New Zealand Company surveyor Charles Heaphy. The large number of ships suggests a bustling settlement, while the rounded hills are evocative of the Kentish Downs.