Historical information

The date of the scene depicted in this painting has not been identified. The painting has no artist signature or date. The view depicted is from an area close to the present day Madden Drive in Bacchus Marsh. The angle of the view suggests the artists viewpoint may have been from a spot close to the intersection of Madden Drive and Muir Street looking east over the town. Several buildings constructed in the 1860s and 1870s can be seen in the painting. These include Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church (now Uniting Church), built 1865, Stone Villa in Bennett Street, the Bacchus Marsh Court House, the former National Bank and the Border Inn, all on Main Street, and in the distance Saint Bernard’s Catholic Church. Buildings such as Simon’s Garage erected in 1913, on the corner of Main Street and Grant Street are not shown. In the foreground running horizontally Grant Street can be seen. The view of Grant Street shows very few buildings. One house in the centre of the picture is Murdoch's Cottage. A brick house constructed in 1868 on the corner of Grant Street and Waddell Street. To the right of the picture along Grant Street no buildings are shown. The store built by John Jory in 1890 at 60-62 Grant Street which survives as a building in 2025 is not shown. Some allowance for artistic interpretation must be allowed but based on what the scene depicts it suggests a scene of Bacchus Marsh in the late 1870s or 1880s.

Physical description

Print reproduction of an oil painting. Framed. Undated. Unsigned.
BMDHS Location: AR/B12/Beside (on floor)