The last daughter of a large aristocratic Scottish family, Constance Gordon-Cumming became a pioneering Victorian travel writer and early influencer. Remarkably, she travelled to the furthest reaches of the British Empire alongside diplomatic parties, and upon her return to the United Kingdom published dozens of travel memoirs, and exhibited her watercolours in large colonial exhibitions. Topographically accurate, her panoramic view of Sydney Harbour was painted in situ from the heights of North Head during a brief stay in the city over the winter of 1875. Although she has carefully recorded the placenames of the eastern harbourside suburbs in pencil, faithfully noted the presence of notable buildings and recorded the dozens of sea vessels darting across the harbour, Gordon-Cumming’s’ view emphasises the natural beauty of the landscape. Her view is dominated by the group of native Xanthorrea (Gadi) grass trees, unwittingly including a botanical reference to the Gadigal people of Sydney Cove.
Text: Lucie Reeves Smith