Wimperis, Jenny, 1838-1927 :[Biscuit Rock and Tunnel Beach, The Cliffs, St Clair, Dunedin]. 1881

Shows a view looking north along the sandstone cliffs just south of St Clair, Dunedin. The artist is painting on the sand at Tunnel Beach, at low tide. At the furthermost point of the cliffs are two natural arches formed in the rock

In the 1870s John Cargill, a local politician and brother of Edward Bowes Cargill who built Cargill's Castle, excavated a tunnel in the sandstone cliffs down to a secluded beach so that the Cargill families could bathe in privacy, away from the public swimming beach at St Clair. It was the strong rip there that is believed to have caused the death by drowning of John Cargill's youngest daughter (www.dunedinnz.com)

There is no solid evidence that one of Cargill's daughters drowned, either at Tunnel Beach or St Clair Beach. The story is generally accepted as local legend.

Inscriptions: Recto - bottom left - J Wimperis / 1881 [in brushpoint]; Backing board recto - top centre - "The Cliffs" "Biscuit Rock" + Tunnel Beach / St Clair Dunedin [in ink]; Backing board recto - centre - To Anthony Petre / Christchurch; Backing board recto - bottom centre - Cicely B Petre [in ink]

Quantity: 1 watercolour(s).

Physical Description: Watercolour and pencil on paper, 255 x 355 mm

Provenance: The inscriptions on the backing board suggest that Cicely Beresford Petre (née FitzHerbert) presented the painting to her nephew, Anthony John Petre, also the grandson of Francis William Petre and Margaret Cargill. Francis and Margaret were married in March 1881, which was the same year that this work (and possibly the painting of Cargill's Castle held at B-189-003) was painted.