MARTIN, HENRY (1891-1944)

“Sydney Harbour From McMahon’s Point (aka. Start Of The Sydney Harbour Bridge)” (1926)
Watercolour
21.5 x 25cm
Signed lower right
*private collection, Sydney
 
Influenced by contemporary, Hans Heysen, Martin was predominantly known for his impressive, traditional landscape and pastoral watercolours of Country NSW. However, this unique watercolour & gouache shows the early construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at North Sydney in late 1926. You can also see Garden Island in the centre, two years before it was joined to the mainland in 1928. It is very rare to find a painting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at such an early stage of construction, and these pictures are invaluable to the history of Sydney and Australia. It predates several of Australia's most well known depictions of the bridge construction, including those by Grace Cossington Smith, Roland Wakelin & Dorrit Black.