In the context of the International Museum Day 2026, the Mauritius Museums Council ( under the aegis of the Ministry of Arts and Culture ) has put on dislpay a Painting Exhibition on “ Watercolours of Mauritius 1820 – 1830 by William Sandeforth Streatfield “ at the Natural History Museum, Port Louis. The Exhibition will be opened to visitors as from 18 May to 13 June 2026.
William Sandeforth Streatfield’s vision is a journey across Mauritius deep into its history. The fifty-five watercolour drawings of Streatfield describe marvellously the pictorial setting of Mauritius for the period 1820 – 1830. This is a prestigious and unique visual arts collection of Mauritian landscapes.
There do exist lithographs/watercolours of Mauritius by famous artists, for example, T. Bradshaw, A. Richard or P. Thuillier but Streatfield’s is the only important collection of landscape watercolour drawings of the 19th century in Mauritius today.
The rigorously pure watercolour drawings explore our island (Port Louis, Tamarin, Black River, Souillac, Bel Ombre, Riche Terre, Réduit, Mahebourg …) and narrate our environment in an illustrative manner, revealing the essence of natural beauty. He often turns his attention to various species of trees and the multiple facets and forms of the landscape that dominated the island at that time. These works of art are also characterised by their historical content; maisons coloniales (residence of Major Webster, Captain Dick, Charles Telfair), bridges (Grande Rivière, Réduit) to name but a few, which offer a fascinating insight into our cultural heritage.
Streatfield’s topographical watercolour landscapes evoke the feeling of light emerging from deep within, as if a luminescence penetrating the leaves, the trunks and the branches to reveal the variety of lush natural plants. Indeed, his watercolour techniques are handled with precision with an eye for botanical accuracy. The watercolour pigments/washes have been worked and controlled with various delicate layers (superposed and juxtaposed), while the fine dry brush strokes render an additional perception of detail and depth.
Streatfield’s watercolours demonstrate a play of tonal values by using the vibrant contrast of natural elements in order to reveal the vividness of the sites and to capture the atmosphere at that specific epoch – the “Port of Souillac” with its ships is one of the best examples. Furthermore, it is the panoply of viewpoints and the wide spectrum of land and seascapes which are offered to us with a special artistic touch, compelling the viewer to venture further into the delightful Mauritian scenes.
It would appear that William Sandeforth Streatfield was a man of great taste for exotic art, but it has been impossible up to now to get any relevant information or record on this talented artist and illustrator. But his watercolour paintings are works of vital historical importance and were executed at a flourishing period in the history of English watercolour painting. It was a period when artists were looking to travelling abroad for new experiences and exotic art. Let us visualize Streatfield unknown to the world of visual arts being reborn gloriously for having expressed so beautifully his inordinate love for our island through his palette.
