Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Morning at the 'Heads' of Port Jackson, or the Pilot's Look Out

Morning at the 'Heads' of Port Jackson, or the Pilot's Look Out

1850
Oil on board
Bequest of Sir William Dixson, 1932
DG 204

With its dramatic rock formations and spectacular views back down the harbour and out to sea, South Head was a popular spot for tourists. It was also used as a lookout post by pilots, whose job was to guide ships safely into the harbour.

By the 1840s, Sydneysiders had embraced the harbour as a place of pleasure, associated with picnics and parties rather than with trade and commerce. Its beauty was proudly celebrated as a counterpoint to the slurs that Europeans liked to throw at the city’s convict origins. Around this time Peacock’s works began appearing on the market, with attractive harbour bays and the exclusive private villas on its foreshores his dominant subject. The number of his works to survive suggest that he was a prolific and therefore a reasonably successful artist.

Peacock’s signature

Look at Peacock’s signature at the bottom right-hand side of the painting. Peacock only began signing the front of his works around 1850, even though he had been selling paintings for nearly ten years. Prior to that he signed them on the back. Did he think that his name, and his convict status, might deter potential buyers?