'The residence of Monsieur Henri Noufflard', watercolour by S.T. Gill, 1857

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Type: Watercolour paintings
Date: 1857
Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Materials: Graphite, Paper, Watercolour
Collection: Trevor Kennedy collection
Accession number: 2020.0002.2216

Description

A watercolour on paper of Monsieur Henri Noufflard's house on Bligh Street, Sydney, in 1857. On the street in front of the house are a man on horseback, a postman, a deliveryman, and two gentlemen in conversation beside the gate, one of whom may be Noufflard. Signed in pencil, bottom left, 'S.T.G. / /57'. Number one from a set of eight.

Prolific artist Samuel Thomas Gill (1818–1880) produced drawings, prints and paintings which recorded his observations of the colonial culture of Australia, including scenes from the Victorian goldfields and the earliest known record of an Australian house that shows both the interior and exterior. By showing the different seasons, rooms and times of day, Gill created a record not just of the house, in Bligh Street, Sydney, but also a glimpse into how its inhabitants lived. The shadows in this scene suggest it is mid-afternoon.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 5:46:18 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-09-30. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.