Melbourne from the Botanic Gardens
1865
- Artist/s name
- Henry GRITTEN
- Medium
- oil on canvas on plywood
- Measurements
- 30.5 x 46.6 cm
- Accession Number
- 2004.181
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
The Joseph Brown Collection. Presented through the NGV Foundation by Dr Joseph Brown AO OBE, Honorary Life Benefactor, 2004
- Gallery Location
- Gallery 9
Level 2, NGV Australia
Henry Gritten was an itinerant artist who painted urban topographical views in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania in the 1850s and 1860s. Arriving in the colonies in 1853, Gritten immediately set out for the goldfields in Bendigo, but soon returned to Melbourne. He painted numerous views of the developing cities in which he lived, along with this view of Melbourne from the Royal Botanic Gardens, which was executed in 1866.
Melbourne grew dramatically in size and population during the 1850s as a result of the gold rush in Victoria. The rapid growth of a middle class saw an increased demand for views of the city, which was met by artists such as Gritten and Henry Burn. Their images catered to the pride of Melbourne’s citizens in the development and prosperity of their burgeoning city.
