Franklyn Vale

Franklyn Vale was one of the earliest runs in the Moreton Bay district and was named as early as 1842. This painting was commissioned by Henry Mort, who purchased Franklyn Vale in 1849.



Detail 1
Detail 2


Martens, Conrad
England/Australia 1801–78
(Franklyn Vale) 1861
Watercolour
31.7 x 46.7cm
Collection: Private

This watercolour was commissioned by Henry Mort in 1861. Franklyn Vale is still in the possession of the Mort family.


Martens, Conrad
England/Australia 1801–78
(View of Glen, Franklin Vale) 1853*
Watercolour
17.5 x 25.5cm
Collection: Private
* Martens's original spelling retained



Full screen
Detail 1
Detail 2
Detail 3
Photo 2000


Martens, Conrad
England/Australia 1801–78
Franklyn Vale c.1854
Watercolour
29.4 x 45cm
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Purchased 2000. The Queensland Government's special Centenary Fund

Franklyn Vale was owned by Henry Mort, brother of the Sydney woolbroker Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, at the time of Martens's visit. A prominent art collector, Mort was a friend and patron of Martens. In 1861 the Sydney Morning Herald described this work: ‘It is interesting and instructive to compare the style of our first Australian water-colour painter with that of the English masters. This is a good specimen of Martens's handling of distance; the sky is a great improvement upon his former works, the atmosphere being peculiarly Australian.’

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