Anon. From Window, 31 Southernhay, Exeter

Nankivell Drawings: Devon, Australia & Arabia 1901–1916

This drawing is one of an unusual group of pictures that we have for sale, which tell an interesting story of Empire and Commonwealth, and emigration from Britain to Australia in the 19th century. The drawings are likely to be by a member of the Nankivell family, which included the Australian artist and political cartoonist Frank Arthur Nankivell (1869–1959). There is a view from the window at 31 Southernhay, a prestigious address in Exeter, which in the late 19th century was home to Frank Nankivell MD. Further Devon and Exmoor landscapes—including Double Locks on the Exeter Ship Canal, Conygar Tower at Dunster and the Packhorse Bridge at Minehead—evidence the artist's connection with this area.

Interestingly the collection includes two drawings at York in Western Australia, east of Perth, in 1901, which at the time was at the heart of Australia's gold rush. Members of the Nankivell family were involved in gold mining, and relocated from Devon to Australia in the 19th century—including John Nankivell, the father of artist Frank Arthur Nankivell, who moved from Mary Tavy, Devon to Maldon, northwest of Castlemaine, in the Goldfields region of Victoria.

There are also two drawings in the Middle East, at Port Said in Egypt and at Aden, now in Yemen, dating from 1902. Both these locations were stopovers on the most common route to Australia by compound steamer from Britain and Europe to Australia via the Suez Canal. Our artist's journey of 1901–2 followed just months after the grand Royal Tour of 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall and York (the future George V) and his wife—perhaps the most expensive tour ever taken by members of the British royal family—to what was frequently referred to as 'Greater Britain' (Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa), which likewise took stops at Aden and Port Said.