The Artist of the Goldfields

Samuel Thomas Gill was know as the artist of the goldfields because of the enormous number of images he created in the 1850s of activity and life on the vast Victorian goldfields. However, Gill was so much more than that. He was possibly Australia's most prolific artist.

After arriving in Adelaide in 1848 he spent 12 years recording the development of Adelaide and rural South Australia, including the extensive copper mining activities. He was the first European artist to sketch and paint images of the Flinders Ranges.

His time in Melbourne and Sydney was spent creating numerous images of the development that occurred as the nineteenth century unfolded.

S.T. Gill died tragically on the steps of the Melbourne Post Office in 1880 leaving behind an incredible record of people, places and events that took place in the Australian colonies. His images are full of life and activity and provide a window into nineteenth-century Australia.

My next book is about Gill's life and uses his images to tell the story of the colonies in the nineteenth century. The book will include over 130 images of Gill's work and it's is due to be released in September. To stay up to date on release date, book launch and availability check my website (www.douglimbrick.com).

The image below is one of Gill's watercolours of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.