With towering glaciers and tumbling waterfalls, it should come as no surprise that Milford Sound has attracted its fair share of famous painters over the course of the 19th century. Some of the most famous painters at Milford Sound have produced images that the world is familiar with today, while others are lesser known.
With towering glaciers and tumbling waterfalls, it should come as no surprise that Milford Sound has attracted its fair share of famous painters over the course of the 19th century. Some of the most famous painters at Milford Sound have produced images that the world is familiar with today, while others are lesser known.
James Crowe Richmond
After growing up in Brighton, James Crowe Richmond moved to New Zealand with his brother in 1850. His rough watercolour depiction of Milford Sound is basic, but captures the area’s ethereal beauty nonetheless.
Frederick John Owen Evans
Frederick John Owen Evans found his way to New Zealand during his career with the navy. As an esteemed hydographer, he was eventually given a knighthood. He sketched the HMS Acheron at Milford Sound, capturing a moment in New Zealand’s naval history.
W Taylor
W Taylor is one of the few artists to have created a 19th century oil image of Milford Sound. From his vantage point, he painted the area stretching out to Mitre Peak.
Charles Decimus Barraud
After qualifying as a chemist and druggist in Southampton during the middle of the 19th century, Charles Decimus Barraud went on to form the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. His watercolour painting of Milford Sound looks between the peaks and the valleys, with Stirling Falls resting to the left of the image.
Emily Cumming Harris
Emily Cumming Harris is one of the few famous female painters to capture Milford Sound during the 19th century. Harris studied art in Tasmania during the 1860s.
Arthur Suker
After studying art in England and spending his time painting landscapes in areas like Dartmoor, Arthur Suker left for New Zealand and began capturing the landscapes there. His view across Milford Sound peers between a set of bushes and depicts a waterfall tumbling down the mountain.
Christopher Aubrey
As an elusive character, Christopher Aubrey used to move from farm to farm during the 1870s, painting what he saw as he travelled. Aubrey’s painting of Milford Sound looks from the shore towards Mitre Peak, and includes the image of two figures in the foreground and a sailboat in the distance.
John Gully
Originating from the South West of England, John Gully found his painting talents while studying under a watercolourist in Bristol. Despite having a love for painting, he later went on to become an accountant. His first love was rediscovered when he visited Milford Sound, where he chose to depict it at its most tempestuous, with waves crashing into the rocks and other surrounding structures.
John Madden
John Madden’s 19th century painting of Milford Sound shows the area with a little driftwood in the foreground and towering glaciers in the background.
William Mathew Hodgkins
After seeing his career as a lawyer decline, William Mathew Hodgkins chose to nurture his painting skills. This included a painting of The Mitre at Milford Sound, which shows the mountain from a summertime perspective.
Joseph Jackson Lister
Joseph Jackson Lister’s Milford Sound painting may at first seem basic, but with a little focus it becomes a work of real beauty. The logs floating in the water show the area in its most basic and rustic form.
John Barr Clark Hoyte
John Barr Clark Hoyte doesn’t just feature one peak or glacier in his image, he’s got several of them. Gazing at this painting, you could almost be left feeling as though you’ve stood on the shores of the sound yourself.
John Douglas Perret
Working in both oil and pastel, John Douglas Perret was one of the more unique painters the 19th century had to offer. His oil on canvas Milford Sound painting captures the area at dusk, just as shadows are starting to fall across the mountains.
