Charles Heaphy VC. (1820–81) arrived in New Zealand, aged 19, in August 1839. He was employed as an artist and draughtsman by the New Zealand Company. His watercolours of Wellington show the town developing along the foreshore and the ships that provided ready access to the settlement. The New Zealand Company helped settle the country by acquiring land from Maori and selling it to the first settlers. All the early towns were on or near the coast. The land was drawn first from ships at sea, then gradually the inland areas were explored, named and appropriated. As in this work, much early colonial landscape art is celebratory of progress. This is one of the most famous early settlement works of art appertaining to Wellington . An original handcoloured lithograph 1841. Beautifully framed, todays cost would be well over $400 . There are age / foxing spots . Shipping cost depending on buyers location.