Baker, Richard, 1810-1854 :View of Wellington from Major Baker's verandah, about 1848.

Shows a view across the flowering gardens of Major Baker's house in Thorndon Quay, to Wellington Harbour, Somes Island, Ward Island, the Hutt Valley and the snow-capped Tararuas. The view is from the verandah two of whose posts divide the view. The Kaiwharawhara Hotel and a moored ship at Kaiwharawhara can be seen at the left. A small child in a dress holds picked flowers in his apron and offers some to a Maori man seated with a basket beside a flower bed. A Maori figure in a red cloak stands over the fence at the left, and another carries a load on her back at the right. There are three tall sailing ships in the harbour and three smaller craft including a waka carrying four figures, in the near left portion of the harbour.

According to a note on the back of the work, the small child is Baker's eldest son Frederick Arnold Baker, born 30 December 1845.

In 1848, Major Baker owned a two-storeyed building at Kaiwharawhara, and this may also be shown in the picture. (See Ward's "Early Wellington", page 150).

Inscriptions: Backing board recto - centre - [Vie]w of Wellington [(Ne]w Zealand) Harbour from Major Richard Baker's verandah, painted by himself about 1848. The child in it was his eldest son Frederick Arnold Baker born 30 December 1845.

Baker won prizes for "Bouquet flowers" and turnips, in the Wellington Horticultural Show, 22 January 1842. (See Winsome Shepherd "Wellington's heritage, plants, gardens and landscapes", Wellington 2000, pages 151-153)

Quantity: 1 watercolour(s).

Physical Description: Watercolour, 205 x 555 mm.