In 1852 Eugène von Guérard came from Germany to make his fortune on the Victorian goldfields, an unsuccessful venture that soon saw him return to his artistic profession. Within a few years, von Guérard became one of Australia’s greatest colonial artists. This drawing of Ferntree Gully is one of a group of works commissioned by John Bakewell in 1858 as a memento of Australian scenery. While they often show the influence of picturesque and Romantic conventions, von Guérard’s works are detailed and accurate representations of vegetation, geological formations and weather patterns.