Painting the Port

Discover the story of the 1855 panorama of Port Adelaide by artist and fraudster Frank G Hankey

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State Library of South Australia

Stretching nearly two metres in length, this rare hand-painted panorama captures Yartapuulti, Port Adelaide, as it appeared in 1855 just two years before fire reshaped the Port forever.

Kaurna people have occupied the lands we now know as Port Adelaide for thousands of years. They call the land around the Port River and Estuary Yartapuulti – the ‘sleeping place’. The name reflects the importance of a local food source, the natural dying or ‘sleep’ of fish in the surrounding mangroves.

This extraordinary artwork by Frank George Hankey is currently on display in the State Library’s Treasures Wall.

Visit us to view the original artwork

A rare window onto a vanished port

Painted in July 1855, Frank (Francis) George Hankey’s panoramic watercolour provides an extraordinary visual record of Port Adelaide at a pivotal moment in its early history.

While the picture is based on initial sketches taken by the artist in early 1855, research has revealed several embellishments, perhaps intended to hint at the growing prosperity of Port Adelaide and South Australia as a whole. The panorama was possibly commissioned by the artist’s family business as a way to promote commercial opportunities in the young colony.

Presented in nine surviving pages (with a tenth now lost), the panorama unfolds along the Port River and North Parade, revealing the commercial heart of the Port just two years before it was dramatically reshaped by the Great Port Adelaide Fire of 1857.

Created using watercolour, ink, pencil and gouache, and stretching an impressive 188 centimetres in length, the work captures a thriving maritime and industrial hub at a time of growth and confidence. Wharves, ships, mills and businesses depicted here were central to South Australia’s trade and transport networks. Many were destroyed when fire swept through and devastated around half of the Port’s commercial district.

Although fragile, with light creasing, foxing, losses and stains, the panorama remains a compelling document of place, memory and change. As a detailed visual record of a landscape that no longer exists in this form, it invites us to imagine daily life in a busy colonial port.

Carefully conserved and now in the public domain, this remarkable work continues to inform, inspire and connect people with South Australia’s past, preserving a moment in time that would otherwise be known only through written records.

The acquisition

The panorama was acquired with support from the Paul McGuire Bequest and the Friends of the State Library of South Australia. Thank you to Friends of the State Library and the Friends of the Paul McGuire Maritime Library for their continued support.

Since 1932, the Friends have championed the State Library through a proud tradition of cultural philanthropy, helping to enrich, preserve and share the State Library’s collections for researchers and the wider community alike.

Discover how the Friends make a lasting difference and explore the benefits of becoming involved.

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The artist behind the work

Frank (Francis) George Hankey (c.1832–1911) was a complex and controversial figure

Born into the prominent London-based Hankey banking and mercantile dynasty ‘Dauglish, White & Hankey’ of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate, he arrived at Port Adelaide on 11 January 1855, on board the Madras which had sailed from Sydney, with Samuel Francis White, a partner in their family firm. During their short time in the Port, White visited his friend, Arthur Hardy, a South Australian pastoralist, at his Mount Lofty retreat, taking Hankey with him.

It is believed that the artist undertook preliminary sketches of the Port River and North Parade in the first days of his visit. On 23 January Hardy, White and Hankey sailed to Melbourne on board the Bosphorus. Subsequently White and Hankey returned to Sydney, before leaving for London in March. Given a voyage back to the UK in 1855 took up to four months, Hankey might have completed parts of the painting on the return voyage to the UK. Hence, the painting is in sections - pages of a sketchbook.

The business had significant interests in Australian trade, mining and the development of steam navigation on the River Murray, connections reflected in Hankey’s interest in the Port.

Hankey returned to Australia and started a family in New South Wales. His later life was marked by repeated convictions for fraud and forgery leading to frequent imprisonments. Despite receiving a yearly allowance of £150 per year, and inheriting wealth upon his father’s death, he died in Sydney with a reputation far removed from his privileged beginnings.

“Yesterday, at the Criminal Sitting of the Supreme Court, George Beresford Sargent was convicted of obtaining money under false pretences, by means of passing upon a publican a worthless cheque. On the same day, Frank George Hankey was convicted of a like offence.

Both these persons are young men who had evidently had superior advantages in early life, and the latter is at present in receipt of an allowance of 150 pounds a year from his family.

These offenders appear to have made a regular business of victimizing hotel keeps with forged and worthless cheque and there are several charges against them. Hankey was convicted of larceny a year since, for which he received 12 months imprisonment.”
~ The Argus (Melbourne), 17 April 1862

'Obtaining money under false pretences' The Argus (Melbourne) 17 April 1862. NLA: Trove

'Obtaining money under false pretences' The Argus (Melbourne) 17 April 1862. NLA: Trove

“Obtaining money under false pretences. Frank George Hankey was found “Guilty” of obtaining 3 pounds, by means of false pretences, from Mr. Evans, of the Port Phillip Club Hotel, on the 12^th of March last. Sentence – Three years’ hard labour on the roads."
~ The Argus (Melbourne) 17 April 1862

“I have Hankey’s name on my slate for something like 28 pounds for little recherché suppers, wines and cigars; he was a man who liked the best, and always had the most expensive wines and the finest Havanah cigars; a bottle of champagne was nothing with a man like him; he would call for 3 bottles of champagne to treat a billiard-maker; he would go into the kitchen and say. “Hillo! cook, old girl, how are you? Here, Gus, bring us half a dozen of champagne;” you have never been a keeper of a French cafe, and you don’t know what the business is; you should come and patronise me sometimes, and would learn something new; if I get hold of a rich man I get all I can out of him, as to make up for others who don’t pay; you should see my slate, some of the names there would astonish you; I believed Hankey to be a rich man; he boasted that he was to have 200,000 pounds; I have receipts for the money I have paid, and hence Hankey’s accounts in my book.”
~ Gustavus Wangenheim, keeper of the French Cafe, 1874

Thomas J Hankey, alias Frank Hankey, 1 November 1872. Courtesy of Museums of History NSW

Guerin Hankey, alias Frank Hankey, dated 07 August 1888. Courtesy of Museums of History NSW

'Criminal Sittings' The Argus (Melbourne) 17 April 1862. NLA: Trove

'Colonial Items - from our exchanges.' 'In the Sydney Insolvent Court' The Bega Gazette and Eden District or Southern Coast Advertiser (NSW), 19 February 1874. NLA: Trove

'Criminal Sittings' The Argus (Melbourne) 17 April 1862. NLA: Trove

'Colonial Items - from our exchanges.' 'In the Sydney Insolvent Court' The Bega Gazette and Eden District or Southern Coast Advertiser (NSW), 19 February 1874. NLA: Trove

Drawn 'from memory'

Hankey annotated two of the pages with the phrase 'from memory', suggesting that while some details were sketched on site, others were reconstructed later. This blend of observation and recollection lends the work a distinctive character: part documentary record, part personal reconstruction. It also raises questions about how reliable his memory was.

'From memory. FG Hankey. July 6th 1855'

'From memory. FG Hankey. July 6th 1855'

You will notice that on one of the pages the date looks like 'July 6^th 1853'. If we look at the year 1855 and how the artist writes his number 5. The top line is often disconnected from the rest of the number and in the case of the first 5 the top line seems connected to the other 5 making it look like a 3. However, there is a further line in front of the second 5. We are sure the year of drawing is 1855. The 6^th of July is also curious, but when we consider the note ‘From memory’ it becomes apparent that the artist might have completed the painting from memory in July, six months after the initial sketch.

Even so, the panorama aligns closely with known historical facts. Buildings, wharves and vessels correspond with records from 1855, including the recently opened Port Adelaide Steam Mills, the short-lived Tom King’s Boarding and Eating House, and ships such as the clipper S.S. Kangaroo. Together, these details help anchor the work firmly in time.

Before the Great Fire of 1857

The panorama depicts a streetscape and river frontage that would soon be irrevocably altered. In November 1857, a devastating fire swept through Port Adelaide, destroying approximately half the port and nearly its entire commercial district. Three hotels, twelve shops, a bank, cottages, stables and outbuildings were lost, with damages estimated between £100,000 and £250,000, much of it uninsured.

"The fire broke out in the premises of Mr Scarfe [an ironmongers workshop], on North-parade, and before the engines arrived almost the whole block of buildings from Blacker's Hotel to the shop of Mr Turner, chemist, were consumed including the handsome public-house of Mr. Germain, and other buildings in St. Vincent-street."
~ South Australian Register, 10 November 1857

Hankey’s panorama therefore preserves views of buildings, wharves and commercial life that vanished within two years of its creation. Read the full article on Trove.

Port Adelaide experienced three 'Great Fires', the first in 1847, the second on 1857 and the third in 1885. The South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register reported the 1847 fire as starting 'in the sail-loft of Mr Baily, the well-known sail-maker of the Port and is supposed to have originated from sparks dropped from the pipe or cigar of one of the persons in Mr Baily's employment.' Read the article on Trove.

The South Australian Advertiser reported a 'Large fire at Port Adelaide' which began on 19 December 1885 'at Messrs. Crooks and Brooker's ironmongery establishment, situated in Lipson-street, which has totally destroyed the building with its contents, besides doing considerable damage to adjoining premises.' Read the full article on Trove.

'Disastrous first at Port Adelaide' 30 January 1847. *South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register*. Trove

'Disastrous first at Port Adelaide' 30 January 1847. *South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register*. Trove

'Destructive first at Port Adelaide' 10 November 1857. *South Australian Register*. Trove

'Destructive first at Port Adelaide' 10 November 1857. *South Australian Register*. Trove

'Large fire at Port Adelaide' *The South Australian Advertiser* 21 December 1885. Trove

'Large fire at Port Adelaide' *The South Australian Advertiser* 21 December 1885. Trove

Exploring the panorama

The Panorama of the Port River and North Parade in Port Adelaide hums with the life of a busy seaport.

Exploring from left to right the following provides a look into the the buildings and some of the ships within each scene.

Let's take a closer look at the first page, which was actually the second page, as the first is reportedly missing.

The Burra Burra was an iron screw steamer crowned with a carved figurehead representing a miner, and was named after the mining town, Burra in South Australia. The ship was built in Liverpool by Cato, Miller &Co., and commissioned by J Gladstone and G Hall of Adelaide and first launched in May 1854. The vessel was intended for passenger trade between Adelaide and Melbourne, with one newspaper optimistically reporting that she could complete the journey in just 48 hours.

*South Australian Register* of 20 February 1855

*South Australian Register* of 20 February 1855

Might this be an embellishment?

As Hankey set out to capture the bustle of Port Adelaide’s maritime commerce, did he knowingly paint the Burra Burra into the scene, even though she had not yet made the voyage to South Australia? Records show that the vessel was undergoing her trial trip and was located in Port Douglas on the Isle of Man in February 1855, only weeks after Hankey made his initial sketches. This was noted in the South Australian Register of 20 February 1855.

By late April 1855 the Adelaide Observer reported that the Burra Burra has finally arrived in Port Adelaide from Liverpool in 109 days, which was considered lengthy at the time.

A crane rises prominently in front of the South Australian Company warehouse and shed, a marker of the Port’s industrious trade and constant movement.

In the following painting the warehouse is seen on the left, behind the ships docked in the wharf.

Port Adelaide looking across Gawler Reach painted by ST Gill in 1848. Courtesy Art Gallery of South Australia, Morgan Thomas Bequest Fund. AGSA: 0.646

Port Adelaide looking across Gawler Reach painted by ST Gill in 1848. Courtesy Art Gallery of South Australia, Morgan Thomas Bequest Fund. AGSA: 0.646

McLaren’s Wharf was built between 1839 and 1840 by the South Australian Company, following the Port’s relocation from its original site at the aptly nicknamed 'Port Misery.'

Painted by John Michael Skipper in 1839, this watercolour on paper sketch depicts settlers being carried on the backs of sailors through the shallow waters of Port Misery, the original port. SLSA: B 1212

Painted by John Michael Skipper in 1839, this watercolour on paper sketch depicts settlers being carried on the backs of sailors through the shallow waters of Port Misery, the original port. SLSA: B 1212

Behind the South Australian Company’s shed, a pennant marked 'VENN' flutters in the breeze, identifying the premises of Robert Charles Venn, a shipping butcher and ship’s chandler on Lipson Street.

Advertisement: R. Venn Butcher and Provision Merchant. *The Royal South Australian almanack and general directory, 1855*. SLSA: South Australia Collection

Advertisement: R. Venn Butcher and Provision Merchant. *The Royal South Australian almanack and general directory, 1855*. SLSA: South Australia Collection

The building near Venn's store is shown without signage, but it can be identified as Charles Catchlove’s Commercial Inn.

Port Adelaide looking north along Commercial Road by ST Gill, 1847. Courtesy Art Gallery of South Australia, Morgan Thomas Bequest Fund. AGSA: 0.656

Port Adelaide looking north along Commercial Road by ST Gill, 1847. Courtesy Art Gallery of South Australia, Morgan Thomas Bequest Fund. AGSA: 0.656

The government's steam dredge is at work on the Port River.

Near the top of the signal station is a man with a telescope or spyglass. Behind the signal station runs Commercial Road, the main route leading from the Port to Adelaide. The following map was created in 1840 and shows the South Australian Company's plan for a 'new road to Adelaide'.

This map shows the old landing place (Port Misery) and new port at Port Adelaide, which includes the South Australian Company wharf: together with the plan and section of the South Australian Company's new road to Adelaide, 1840. SLSA: C 186

This map shows the old landing place (Port Misery) and new port at Port Adelaide, which includes the South Australian Company wharf: together with the plan and section of the South Australian Company's new road to Adelaide, 1840. SLSA: C 186

The second page focuses on the Queen's Wharf and shows parts of Commercial Road on the left and North Parade behind the ships.

An unidentified clipper ship docked at the wharf.

Behind the ship's rigging is a large two-storey building which sits on the corner of Commercial Road and St Vincent Street. It can be identified as Thomas Calton’s Port Admiral Hotel, whose signage ‘Port Admiral' and 'CALTON’ is partially obscured by ship’s rigging. Originally named the 'Railway Hotel', the following illustration by Samuel Calvert shows what it looked like in 1850. It is the oldest surviving building in Port Adelaide.

Railway Hotel, Port Adelaide, 1850. Trove

Railway Hotel, Port Adelaide, 1850. Trove

Buildings behind the unidentified ships along North Parade.

One of the three ships pictured in the Queen’s Wharf can be identified as the Kangaroo, whose pennant is marked ‘KANGUROO’.

Shipping at Port Adelaide, about 1866, which shows the '*S.S. Kangaroo*' in the centre. SLSA: PRG 1373/38/15

Shipping at Port Adelaide, about 1866, which shows the '*S.S. Kangaroo*' in the centre. SLSA: PRG 1373/38/15

The artists signature 'F G Hankey, July 6th 1855'. The last number looks like a 3, but after examining it along with other dates in the panorama, the artist seems to write his 5 in two steps, the top line and then the second downward line with a curve.

Another handwritten note indicates the scene depicts 'Queen's Wharf'.

A photograph showing a distant view of Queen's Wharf and North Parade, Port featuring the hotels and shops in 1860. SLSA: PRG 280/1/14/126

A photograph showing a distant view of Queen's Wharf and North Parade, Port featuring the hotels and shops in 1860. SLSA: PRG 280/1/14/126

Page 3 takes us further west down North Parade, where we start to see the many business and hotels that ran at the time.

William Blacker’s 'PORT BLACKER'S HOTEL' stands on the corner of North Parade and Mildred Street.

Mr. William Blackler, licensee of Port Hotel 1854-61. City of PAE Libraries’ Local History | Flickr

Mr. William Blackler, licensee of Port Hotel 1854-61. City of PAE Libraries’ Local History | Flickr

Blacker arrived as a young teenager with his family in 1839. He owned and ran several hotels as well as being a sportsman and horse breeder.

The adjoining building, marked ‘BILLIARDS’, is probably also part of the hotel, with its large arched double door possibly leading to stabling at the rear or side of the hotel.

The artist shows smoke from the chimney and a figure at the doorway.

Next door are the drapers and grocers ‘CROCKER & HAMILTON’. The company held two other business locations in Burra and Adelaide.

An advertisement in the *Adelaide Times*, 20 July 1855, for Crocker & Hamilton, North Parade, Port. Trove

An advertisement in the *Adelaide Times*, 20 July 1855, for Crocker & Hamilton, North Parade, Port. Trove

The next is a three-storey building with signage for ‘DOVER HOUSE’ and ‘MENPES’.

James Menpes was a wealthy draper and importer, selling drapery, hosiery, haberdashery and slops (cheap ready-made clothing). He was the father of the famous South Australian-born artist Mortimer Menpes. You can view his work at Art Gallery of South Australia.

James Menpes arrived in South Australia in December 1839 on the *Moffatt*. This portrait is part of a larger mosaic which features men who attended an ‘Old Colonists Banquet’. SLSA: B 47769/11I

James Menpes arrived in South Australia in December 1839 on the *Moffatt*. This portrait is part of a larger mosaic which features men who attended an ‘Old Colonists Banquet’. SLSA: B 47769/11I

A paddle streamer is at anchor in the river.

Have you noticed the barrels bobbing in the river?

A number of floating barrels can be seen throughout the painting. Captain Thomas Lipson was Port Adelaide’s first Harbour Master and Collector of Customs, serving from 1838 to 1856. One of his duties was to oversee to the safe navigation of the Port Adelaide River. One of Captain Thomas Lipson’s first tasks as Harbour Master was the buoying of the difficult harbour entrance with casks.

In addition to piloting duties, the Harbour Master’s staff were responsible for maintaining the buoys and harbor beacons (known locally as ‘Captain Lipson’s apple trees’), a well as acting as customs officers.

Portrait of Captain Thomas Lipson by John Hood in approximately 1870. Around the portrait is decorative anchor and flag motif with biographical timelines for his life. SLSA: B 11169

Portrait of Captain Thomas Lipson by John Hood in approximately 1870. Around the portrait is decorative anchor and flag motif with biographical timelines for his life. SLSA: B 11169

Handwriting by the artist in pencil. 'F G Hankey (followed by illegible word) From Memory 1855'.

Page 4 shows activity in the busy port.

Written on the verso, ‘Dr Vin'.

'Dr Vin' written on the back of page 4.

'Dr Vin' written on the back of page 4.

Looking to the right-hand margin of the paper is some illegible writing.

The three-storey building at far left is the Port Agency for the Union Bank of Australia ‘BANK’ whose manager was Mr John Vautin, as reported in the Adelaide Observer, 4 November 1854.

Next is the premises of Charles G Germain. Hankey misspelt the name as ‘GERMIN’.

Germain advertised as a ‘Ship Chandler, Plumber, Painter And Glazier, Tinman, Brazier, Iron Plate And Zinc Worker’ and ‘Compass Repairer’ and in the 'Royal South Australian Almanack' of 1855, he was as 'Storekeeper, North Pd, Port Adelaide'. He also owned the White Hart Hotel in Nile Street.

Reported in the Adelaide Times on 28 August 1855, Mr Germain paid for his own sewage drainage pipe.

'Domestic News', *Adelaide Times*, 28 August 1855. Trove

'Domestic News', *Adelaide Times*, 28 August 1855. Trove

The next shop is signed ‘SMITH’. It was operated by William Smith, a shipping and family butcher and seller of ‘Salt Provisions, Hay, Corn, Etc.’ who had ‘Live Stock always on hand’. His window appears to display carcasses of meat.

By 1856 an advertisement in the Adelaide Times reveals that Mr William Smith was auctioning off his house and premises, including 'A superior Sydney Sausage Machine'.

'Advertising', *Adelaide Times*, 14 May 1856. Trove

'Advertising', *Adelaide Times*, 14 May 1856. Trove

Here, the artist portrays Indigenous people on the riverbank in a manner that reflects the superficial and conventional representations characteristic of the period.

Back up at the wharf we see ‘TOM KING' which refers to 'Tom King’s Dining Rooms and Eating House’. King operated a boarding house and eating rooms, which had a 20-foot frontage to the Parade from 1852 to 1855.

Advertisement in the *Adelaide Observer* on 13 Nov 1852, promoting ‘the only chop house at the Port’ and a grand opening ball and supper for Tom King’s business. Trove

Advertisement in the *Adelaide Observer* on 13 Nov 1852, promoting ‘the only chop house at the Port’ and a grand opening ball and supper for Tom King’s business. Trove

King raised pigs in his yard for his well-known Chop and Coffee house, and in October 1854 he had displayed a 36-pound Australian salmon in the window.

*South Australian Register* 13 October 1854 Trove

*South Australian Register* 13 October 1854 Trove

He vacated the building in about April 1855, but his lease was not offered for sale until August, and it is likely that the signage, as depicted by Hankey, remained in place for a period.

Advertisement in the *South Australian Register* on 19 February 1855. Trove

Advertisement in the *South Australian Register* on 19 February 1855. Trove

The 'SHIP INN' stood on North Parade between Nelson and Mildred Streets. Established in 1840, it briefly traded under the unusual name Help Me Through the World Inn from June 1840 to March 1841.

The Ship Inn on North Parade taken approximately 1884-1886. SLSA: B 28982

The Ship Inn on North Parade taken approximately 1884-1886. SLSA: B 28982

The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1857 and rebuilt on the same site, continuing to operate until it closed in 1909. In an 1884 photograph, the name above the door on the left identifies Abraham Othen as the publican (1884–1886), while the owner from 1860 to 1884 was John Smith.

'MALIN' refers to JG Malin is listed as a baker in the Royal South Australian Almanack of 1855. He was known for his varieties of bread and biscuits. In March of 1855 he was seeking to let the shop.

*South Australian Register*, 19 March 1855. Trove

*South Australian Register*, 19 March 1855. Trove

James Grosse is listed as a storekeeper in the 1855 Almanack. By 1870, his shop front signage read, 'Oil and colourman' (someone who makes paint) 'Ship Chandler and grocer and ironmonger'. He'd certainly diversified his business!

Grosse store front in 1870. SLSA: B 5659

Grosse store front in 1870. SLSA: B 5659

Two doors further west are ‘HARRIS AUCTION ROOMS' operated by storekeeper John Harris. Unfortunately Mr Harris died of the effects of alcoholism in November 1855.

'Coroner's Inquest', *South Australian Registe*r, 28 November 1855. Trove

'Coroner's Inquest', *South Australian Registe*r, 28 November 1855. Trove

Mrs Harris is listed as running the business in the following year.

Page 5 begins from the corner of North Parade and Nelson Street, now the site of the Birkenhead Bridge.

The building on the south-eastern corner of North Parade and Nelson Street, marked ‘MEDICAL HALL’, was the business of the chemist WJ Turner.

Advertisement placed by W J Turner in the *Adelaide Times*, 5 July 1855. Trove

Advertisement placed by W J Turner in the *Adelaide Times*, 5 July 1855. Trove

On the other side of Nelson Street we see the signs 'MART' and 'BRITISH HOTEL'. William Mart was the licensee from 1849 to 1859.

A photographic copy of a painting by Samuel Calvert of the British Hotel approximately 1850. SLSA: B 510

A photographic copy of a painting by Samuel Calvert of the British Hotel approximately 1850. SLSA: B 510

Hankey has drawn the British Hotel as a two-storey building.

Could this be one of the occasions when Mr Hankey’s memory failed him?

A cropped version of photograph of North Parade highlighting the British Hotel as a single-storey building, taken in 1865. SLSA: B 5648

A cropped version of photograph of North Parade highlighting the British Hotel as a single-storey building, taken in 1865. SLSA: B 5648

From the above images we can see that in 1855 the hotel was more than likely a single-storey structure. It was rebuilt in 1876 as a two-storey building.

Row boats and people on the muddy shore, likely heading to one of the many pubs in Port Adelaide.

Signed with ink is 'FG Hankey' (followed by an illegible word). The paper is partially torn.

Might this be an embellishment?

In the foreground is the paddle-steamer Leichardt which was launched at the Port after March 1855. This means it is unlikely to be in the Port at the time Hankey did the preliminary sketch.

The building next to the British Hotel on North Parade appears without signage, but it is known to have been occupied by the brothers Elijah and Charles Butler, who traded as EH Butler & Co., bootmakers.

EH Butler is listed in the Royal South Australian Almanack of 1855 as a bootmaker on North Parade.

Page 6 takes us further west down North Parade.

A sign-post stands in the roadway. It appears to say 'BLACKS' and shows what look to be horseshoes. This possibly refers to John Bennett, a blacksmith who was located on North Parade.

'ALBERT HOUSE' is the premises of 'NATHAN & BASTARD.'

Samuel Nathan and Henry Bastard were clothiers, drapers and importers whose premises were in Albert House.

Advertisement for 'NATHAN & BASTARD' in the 1855 *Royal South Australian Almanack* by Andrew Garran.

Advertisement for 'NATHAN & BASTARD' in the 1855 *Royal South Australian Almanack* by Andrew Garran.

In 1855 they advertised that they had 'received from England the most splendid assortment of shells.'

*South Australian Register*, 7 July 1855. Trove

*South Australian Register*, 7 July 1855. Trove

Looking behind the torn and damaged paper reveals what looks like a pencil sketch of the building.

A wonderfully detailed drawing of a three-masted ship facing west, name unknown. Its figurehead wears a crown.

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The anchor chain is cast in the water with the figure head appearing to wear a golden crown.

Handwriting by the artist in pencil. 'F G Hankey [illegible word] From Memory 1855'.

Page 7 takes us further west along North Parade.

In this 1865 photograph, the buildings appear quite different from those shown in Hankey’s panorama.

North Parade, Port Adelaide, 1865. SLSA: B 5643

North Parade, Port Adelaide, 1865. SLSA: B 5643

As Hankey worked partly from memory, some artistic license may have been taken in his depiction of the waterfront and its buildings.

The single-storey white building is the Prince’s Hotel. In 1855 the licensee was Henry Ferrers. This photograph shows the hotel in 1865 when John Parsons was the owner.

The hotel opened in 1851, rebuilt as a two-storey establishment around 1875, and closed in 1909.

The Prince's Hotel, 1865. Detail from SLSA: B 5643

The Prince's Hotel, 1865. Detail from SLSA: B 5643

Could this be one of the occasions when Mr Hankey’s memory failed him?

An unidentified building on what looks to be the eastern corner of Mundy Street and North Parade. It is depicted as being under renovation or repair, with ladders and scaffolding.

Historical records show that the Prince's Hotel was located on the corner of Mundy St and North Parade.

Close up of the corner of Mundy Street and North Parade, in 1865. SLSA: B 5643

Close up of the corner of Mundy Street and North Parade, in 1865. SLSA: B 5643

Pages 8 and 9 take us to the end of North Parade to Prince's wharf.

The artists paints a busy port scene with horses and carts, people on the dock, and barrels and canoes in the water. To the right we see the Mundy Street ferry steps, which took people across to Birkenhead.

On the corner opposite Mundy Street stands the recently opened Hart's Mill which began operating on 9 April 1855.

Captain John Hart was a part-owner of the operation. The mill is a five-storey stone building. This 1865 photograph shows the mill in greater detail.

Close up of the Steam Mills, in 1865. SLSA: B 5643

Close up of the Steam Mills, in 1865. SLSA: B 5643

Hart’s Mill is considered an extant building, meaning it has largely retained its original form over time. The building and its surrounding complex still stand today and are often used for markets, festivals and other community events.

Some years after Hart’s death in 1873, his company merged with other businesses to form the Adelaide Milling and Mercantile Company. In 1888, a second, larger milling facility was constructed alongside the original mill.

Adelaide Milling Co. buildings on the Prince's Wharf, 1920. SLSA: B 24295

Adelaide Milling Co. buildings on the Prince's Wharf, 1920. SLSA: B 24295

The artist signs his name FG Hankey with 'From Memory 1855' written in pencil below.

This unidentified ship, anchored at the end of the wharf, flies the British Red Ensign.

Conservation and survival

Only nine of the original ten pages of the panorama survive. The missing page would have depicted the view east of McLaren’s Wharf, the very first page in the panorama.

Senior Conservator, Peter Zajicek, separates the individual pages in order to correctly align the image.

Senior Conservator, Peter Zajicek, separates the individual pages in order to correctly align the image.

The original artwork was poorly mounted on a Japanese tissue paper, the pages misaligned, and someone had attempted to fill in parts of the original illustration with a lead pencil. Each page underwent professional conservation and they are now mounted on Japanese mulberry paper and loosely joined, preserving their integrity while acknowledging loss.

In keeping with best conservation practice, no attempt has been made to reconstruct missing areas. The panorama stands as both an artwork and an artefact, bearing the marks of time, use and survival.

An enduring historical record

Viewed today, Hankey’s panorama is more than a detailed streetscape. It is a rare visual narrative of Port Adelaide at a moment of growth, optimism and vulnerability, before fire, redevelopment and time reshaped the Port. In its length, fragility and detail, the work invites viewers to slowly trace a shoreline that no longer exists, and to imagine a bustling colonial port on the brink of transformation.

View the catalogue record