Artwork Information

Vintage unmounted and toned photographic prints by George Valentine are amongst the finest topographical images made in 19th century New Zealand. His images of the Thermal regions surrounding Rotorua, particularly of the Tarawera and Rotomahana areas, were sold both to locals and to tourists. In particular, the pre and post photographs of the 1886 volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera are of exceptional interest since the eruption obliterated both Te Tarata and Otukapuarangi.This photograph shows the utter destruction caused by the eruption and uses a common trope of topographic photography of the time - placing people in the frame to give a sense of scale.