Alfred Wilson Walsh

Alfred Walsh was one of Ōtautahi Christchurch’s most prominent painters during the 1890s and 1900s, and held in high regard as a watercolourist and teacher. He arrived in the city in 1887 and was appointed assistant art master at Canterbury College School of Art. In this role he went on to teach a generation of young art students the finer details of plein air painting, often taking them to nearby Hagley Park to paint. In 1889 he was a founding member of Christchurch art group the Palette Club, which promoted plein airpainting. He relished taking sketching trips to the countryside with other artists during the summer months; the Kaikōura coastline was a favoured destination, and they would camp out and paint for several days. In 1912 Walsh moved to Tamaki Makaurau Auckland where he painted numerous watercolours of the harbour.

(Timeless: Treasures from the Historical Collection 19 September 2026 – 30 May 2027)