Collection Item
Port Macquarie c 1840
Joseph Backler was a young convict portrait painter, who arrived in Sydney in 1832. He was sent to the Port Macquarie penal settlement in 1833 after committing further offences in Sydney. His troubles continued in Port Macquarie. During his nine years there he received 150 lashes, a year in irons and 23 days in cells.
Intriguingly, Backler has possibly included an autobiographical element in this otherwise impressive view of Port Macquarie. In the foreground are two figures — presumably convicts holding bottles — being pursued by three men. It is rare to see the underbelly of colonial life appearing in works of art.
Collection Item Type:
Oil on canvas
Call Number:
ML 324
Published date:
c 1840
On display:
Exhibition Galleries
Copyright Information:
Out of copyright: Artist died before 1955
Please acknowledge: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
Display Location:
Exhibition Galleries
Historical Dates
Started
Tuesday, 1 January 1833
Finished
Tuesday, 31 December 1833
Started
Tuesday, 1 January 1833
Finished
Tuesday, 31 December 1833