Sidney House 1890

This large watercolour displays a remarkable clarity, both in the depiction of light and the rendition of detail. Now demolished, Sidney House was built by Thomas Finney, a successful businessman who established a drapery with his partner James Isles when they migrated to Brisbane in 1862. It was constructed on the Brisbane River at Toowong, one of the most desirable areas to live in Brisbane during the late nineteenth century; the opening of the Brisbane–Ipswich railway line in 1875 enhanced the appeal of the area. Finney’s second wife, Sidney Ann, had purchased three acres of land in Toowong in 1881 and FDG Stanley was commissioned to design their house. The name was chosen by Finney as a memorial to Sidney Ann, who died before the building was completed in 1889.