A NEW exhibit showcasing the works of artists of the 1800s is now on display at Commissioner's House.

Island Scenes 1815-57: Bermuda Views features original artwork by four visitors ? Edmund Gilling Hallewell, Michael Seymour, Gaspard Le Marchant Tupper and Thomas Driver.

Interestingly, none of the men arrived as a tourist.

"Biographies on each of the four British artists represented explain how each man's presence in Bermuda was a direct result of these military and wartime developments," explained Charlotte Andrews, curator of the Bermuda Maritime Museum.

"Of the four, Edmund Gilling Hallewell, Flag Captain (later Sir) Michael Seymour, and Gaspard Le Marchant Tupper were officers in the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Artillery, respectively. Although he was not enlisted, Thomas Driver came to Bermuda with the Royal Navy."

Ms Andrews added that while all were trained in the same formal drawing techniques, Mr. Driver's works depict a more accurate representation of Bermuda.

"The larger difference between Driver and the other military officers was his long residence here; the other three enjoyed only brief military sojourns. Driver's work, by contrast, can be viewed as a more intimate portrait of Bermuda life, subtly infused with social critique and commentary."a collaboration between the Bermuda Maritime Museum and the Bermuda Archives, is the eighth special exhibition at Commissioner's House featuring the Bermuda Archives' extensive Fay & Geoffrey Elliott Collection.

The curator explained that the artists arrived during what was a period of "vast demographic and social change" caused by internal and external factors.

"The 19th century saw the abolition of slavery and the dramatic shift from maritime trade to agriculture. But British military interests would change Bermuda most substantially, turning the island into a North Atlantic naval command centre.

"The ensuing manpower, money and British influence on Bermuda would reshape the island for the modern era. The major catalyst for this period of change was the American Revolution of the 1770s, in which Britain lost her American colonies and Bermudians played roles as wartime privateers.

"With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the Unites States of America was born, and Britain lost all possessions and naval bases between Canada and the West Indies.

"As tensions persisted with the US and France, Bermuda's role was quickly redrawn, and from 1795, the island was turned into an extensive British garrison. At the heart of this massive infrastructure was the Dockyard.

"The installations, fortifications and residences of this military complex, and the immense convict labour force imported to construct the West End edifices over a 40-year period, are all central subjects of several of the paintings shown."

qwill remain on exhibit at Commissioner's House at the Bermuda Maritime Museum at the Royal Naval Dockyard through December 24. Commissioner's House is open daily, from 9.30 a.m. The last admission is at 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $5 for children.