Prior to 1990, The river (1896) had been framed in a Louis XIV revival frame (see image directly above). The painting was reframed in 1990 (see previous image) to match the frame on another painting by Streeton, Spring (A14-1978), thought to date to the 1920s but resurfaced.
In 2005 the framing of the painting was revisited. This time the frame was to be based on a photograph showing the framed painting on display in the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1925. Here the frame is a wide, flat plank appearing to carry a dark surface finish. The form of the new frame was derived from the photograph. The matte bronze surface is based on the frame on a painting by W.B. McInnes, The hill, 1917.
The painting was cleaned in 2006-7.