English: After the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Sydney Cove developed rapidly with increasing traffic and steady construction of many public buildings. Circular Quay was built between 1837 and 1855 with wharves, a stable shoreline and a road added.

In January 1871 Sydney photographer Charles Percy Pickering, well known for his family portraits, was commissioned by the New South Wales government to produce a collection of photographs of the developing city of Sydney for the London International Exhibition.
Pickering worked under the direction of Colonial Architect James Barnet to publish a portfolio of images titled: 'Photographs of Public and Other Buildings. Taken by Authority of the Government of New South Wales, at the Request of the Secretary of State for the Colonies' (Sydney 1872). The publication contained 166 of Pickering’s images of Sydney scenes and was shown at the exhibition with the intention of promoting the city’s rapid development and architectural achievements. This panorama of Circular Quay was likely to have been taken as part of Pickering and Barnet's project to document the evolving landscape of the Sydney area.
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Photographer Charles Percy Pickering. Object number ANMS1092[220]

ANMM Collection Gift from Mr and Mrs Glassford