West Coast, South Island, with Mount Cook and Others, from the River Arahura, 1850

This unusual painting is the work of Canterbury Province’s first architect. He painted in oils throughout his long life. The Akaroa Museum has several of his works and the Lyttelton Times in 1856 acclaimed the merits of a panoramic view of Akaroa Town and Harbour. In the 1890s, after his retirement as an architect, Farr returned to painting. On the evidence of the title label on the back of the frame of this work, it is likely that the painting was begun early in his career in 1850 and completed after his retirement in 1893.