Paintings by George Gawler and J.M. Skipper [PRG 50/34] • Artwork
Government House
Watercolour painting of Government House, attributed to Governor George Gawler. It features a man in military uniform walking along a dirt path towards the white, two storey building of Government House. A woman, wearing a bonnet and carrying a parasol, with pink shawl over her blue dress, is walking with the soldier. The ground in the foreground is cleared lawn, but some eucalypts are featured on either side, and extensive bushland is indicated behind Government House.
J.B. Hack's farm at Echunga Springs
Watercolour painting of J.B. Hack's farm at Echunga Springs, Mount Barker. Attributed to Governor George Gawler. Inscription on verso reads 'Sketch of J. Barton Hack Esq.'s Farm. by Col Geo Gawler. Govr of S. Australia. 1838-1842. Echiunga [sic] Springs. Mt Barker. S. Australia. Grandfather of R. & L. Poulden.' The artwork is painted from a view point downwards towards a white two storey house in a wide valley, with a smaller building beside it. There is cattle in fenced paddocks around the house and more buildings beyond. There has been a degree of land clearing although some remaining bush is represented. There is a small hut in the left foreground.
'View taken from the Alice at her mooring, looking upon the town of Port Lincoln'
'View taken from the Alice at her mooring, looking upon the town of Port Lincoln 1840'. The painting is panoramic in style and shows a variety of houses and tents lining the shore, with thick bushland behind it. A line of pilings extends into the bay.
'View taken from the Oaks at Port Lincoln, looking towards Kirton Point'
'View taken from the Oaks at Port Lincoln, looking towards Kirton Point'. Painted in a panoramic style, it shows small buildings along the edge of the bay and surrounded by thick bush, with several rowboats pulled up onto the beach and a number of sailing vessels moored in the bay.
'View from the top of Port Lincoln, looking down the Bay'
'View from the top of Port Lincoln (proper), looking down the Bay'. Includes a key to the principal landmarks: 1.Boston Island; 2.Rack(?) at the entrance of the Harbour; 3.Grantham Island; 4.Henford(?) Hill. The painting is looking across a large body of water with small bays and headlands on wither side, and islands in the middle ground. Two samll sailing vessels and a row boat are visible.
'Extreme point at the junction of the Murray with Lake Alexandrina Victoria'
Watercolour painting by colonial artist John Michael Skipper. A note on the reverse reads 'Extreme point at the junction of the Murray with Lake Alexandrina Victoria / the Lake in the distance / Expedition going up the river December 1839'. Signed 'J.M.S., 1840'. A wooden boat, with furled sails is drawn up to the river's edge, with four men of the party standing beside it. One is holding a horse, while a fifth man is mounted on another; a sailor is bundling the sails. Immediately beside the exploration party are two Aborigines seated beside a smoking fire. Two of the ladies who accompanied the expedition, probably Julia Gawler and Charlotte Sturt, can been seen on the far side of the boat; behind them are some of the Murray River cliffs.
'The Murray River 30 miles above Lake Alexandrina Victoria'
Watercolour painting by colonial artist John Michael Skipper, with the inscription 'The Murray 30 miles above Lake Alexandrina Victoria. Mount Barker in the distance. Expedition going up December 1839'. Signed 'J.M.S., 1840'. The painting shows a longitudinal view along a stretch of the Murray River, with lightly wooded, undulating land on either side. In the bottom right hand corner an Aboriginal man is shown hunting a goanna.
'The Murray 60 miles above the Lake'
Watercolour identified on the back as 'The Murray 60 miles above the Lake. Extraordinary wall of fossil cliffs 800 feet high'. Another annotation, in a different hand reads 'By Col. Geo Gawler. Governor of S. Australia 1838-1842. Grandfather of R. & L. Poulden. (handwriting of the above)'. [A note on the series list challenges this: 'Attributed by his descendants to Governor George Gawler, but probably by J.M. Skipper.'] The painting is similar in style to those by Skipper, although in much darker colours. The Murray River is a minor feature in the middle distance; with cattle shown grazing on cleared land as viewed from a high vanatge point, and with river cliffs and blue hills in the distance.
'The Murray just before it falls into the Lake'
Painting of 'The Murray just before it falls into the Lake. A false arm of the river in the foreground'. Following this, in a different hand, are the words '(his handwriting) [referring to Gawler] and also in the same hand 'Sketch by Col. Geo. Gawler. Governor of S. Australia. 1838-1842'. [A note in the series list challenges this: 'Attributed to Governor George Gawler, but probably by J.M. Skipper.'] The artist has painted the scene looking down from a small rise above the Murray River, with a flock of birds in the water, and a small craft with a sail further out. A small group of Aborigines are shown seated around a fire in the foreground.