Samuel Coleridge Charles Farr was a topographical artist but most notably Canterbury Province's first architect. He intended to emigrate from England to Auckland, but significant shipping problems aboard the Monarch en route to Auckland in 1850 saw him land at Akaroa instead. He soon settled in Christchurch and designed Akaroa's first church, designed New Zealand's first iron verandahs, and he started Sunday schools in Canterbury. Papers Past reveals his marriage was the first celebrated in Canterbury. As a leading member of the Acclimatisation Society, he was responsible for introducing fish to many of Canterbury's lakes and rivers. He was also instrumental in introducing the bumblebee to New Zealand. His most notable building was Cranmer Court, the former Normal School, Christchurch. The building was recently demolished after it suffered structural damage following the 2011 earthquake. Farr's paintings rarely appear at auction as most are held by institutional collections.

This collection of four oil paintings have been held in a private collection in the United Kingdom since the early 1900s and have never before been offered for sale.