Augustus Earle

• “Ann Piper and her children” is one of the most infamous artworks of the colonial period
• It is one of the few art pieces of the time which managed to survive over the years and has not been lost to time
• “Ann Piper and her children” was commissioned


  1826
• Artwork


  “Ann Piper and her children” by Augustus Earle
• Depiction in the painting

  • Ann Piper and four of her ten children
  • Henrietta villa
  • Olden-style chandelier
  • Large pillar
• Wealth indication


  Subjects in the painting are quite wealthy
• Ann Piper's attire


  Wearing a silver, floral crown<|>Red gauze gown with short, puffed sleeves<|>Gathered bodice over a long-sleeved, white underdress
• The possessions seen in the painting can be used to assign a time and place to the artwork
• The painting connects the artwork to the world


  It informs the audience about how the world operated and the value of one’s status in society during the colonial period
• Relationship between artwork, world, and audience


  Clearly expressed by Augustus Earle in his renowned artwork, “Ann Piper and her children”
• This family portrait is typical of the style of painting known as a ‘conversation piece’
• This rare, life size, colonial example shows Mary Ann (nee Shears), wife of Captain John Piper, and four of her ten children
• Mrs Piper had turned 35

  2 August 1826
• Mrs Piper appears to have everything that colonial Sydney could offer; wealth, social position, a charming healthy family, fashionable imported clothes and a grand house on the best site in Sydney
• Henrietta Villa is one of the few surviving views of its interior
• Sheer, red gauze gown


  Worn by Mrs Piper for her family portrait
• Mrs Piper's gown


  • Short, puffed sleeves
  • Gathered bodice
  • Long-sleeved white underdress
  • Wide, flat collar
  • Tucked edges
  • High waist marked with a belt
  • Long, tubular skirt
• Mrs Piper carries a white shawl, which may have borders of ‘broderie anglais’ embroidery
• Mrs Piper's accessories


  • Elaborate indoor cap
  • Ribbons
  • Silk flowers
  • Lace
  • Sheer gauze streamers
  • Several rings
  • Pendant earrings
  • Gold watch
• The children in this image are aged from approximately four to ten years
• Thomas Piper


  Wears a brass-buttoned, black schoolboy outfit, or ‘skeleton suit’, with a white neck ruff and carries an archer’s bow
• William Sloper


  Dressed in an unusually tailored, militarised version of the type of frock and pantaloons worn by little boys until they were breeched
• Eliza Anne and Anne Christa Frances


  Wear identical outfits with coral necklaces and white muslin dresses marked by pale pink sashes
• The large book on the stool closest to Eliza Anne is perhaps a bible
• The pair of service books lying on the table nearest to Anne Christa Frances would be carried to church on Sundays
• The Pipers were devout Presbyterians
• Mary Ann Shears married Captain John Piper by special licence in 1816
• It is believed they had met and formed an attachment during Piper’s term of service on Norfolk Island in about 1806
• This happy family picture must have been completed after the birth of John and Mary Ann’s tenth child, and eighth son Frederick Octavius, on 2 June 1826 but before his death three months later in September 1826
• Several other Piper children born before 1826 are also missing from this painting
• Hugh Hewitt Piper had been killed in a riding accident on 8 July 1825
• Ann would never have worn a red dress so soon after the death of a family member
• Augustus Earle: 'The interior of the building corresponds with the taste displayed in the gardens, and the grand saloon is not only unrivalled in this Colony but would rank high as a chaste specimen of architecture in any part of the world'
• Joseph Lycett: 'The interior of the Villa is filled up in a style that combines elegance and comfort'
• Principal apartments of Henrietta Villa

  • Spacious Dining Room
  • Banqueting Room
  • Drawing Room
• All principal apartments are furnished in the most tasteful manner