Although its location is not known, this scene captures something of the grandeur and romance of New Zealand’s native bush. Surrounded by dense forest, a small group of travellers gather around a campfire. An accomplished amateur, William Raworth worked in both oils and watercolours and was one of the earliest artists to live and work in the Canterbury region. Little is known of Raworth’s early career. He was the nephew of the English painter John Linnell, and reached Lyttelton on board the Sir George Seymour on 17 December 1850. He exhibited his work in Christchurch on several occasions during the late 1860s and early 1870s. After returning to England in the early 1870s, he settled in Australia, returning to New Zealand occasionally.