Born in 1890, artist Herbert Gallop developed a love of the sea in the years of his youth spent in the Kiama area. Gallop’s father, a schoolteacher, was an enthusiastic amateur artist, and his maternal grandmother was the sister of American artist James McNeil Whistler.

Although the title of the painting is ‘Stanwell Park’, the view is more likely taken from Thelma Ridge in the Royal National Park (between Sydney and Wollongong), looking south towards Mid Era Point, South Era Beach and Semi Detached Point.