Emil Hermann Todt (c. 1810 – 10 July 1900) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

botanical artist Botanical illustration is the art of depicting the form, color, and details of plant species, frequently in watercolor paintings. They must be scientifically accurate but often also have an artistic component and may be printed with a botanical ...

and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

who was active in Australia from the 1850s to the 1880s. Todt was born in

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in 1810 or 1811, and studied sculpture under Ludwig Wilhelm Wichmann from around 1830 until 1836. In 1849 he emigrated to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, possibly because of an involvement in the revolutions of the time. In 1851 he got caught up in the

Victorian gold rush The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. It led to a period of extreme prosperity for the Australian colony, and an influx of population growth and financial capit ...

, but by 1854 had settled in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

where he returned to sculpture. That year he exhibited what has become his most famous work. This was ''The gold diggers'', a sculpture depicting two gold diggers, one standing and one sitting, in their working clothes. Described at the time as "nothing short of genius of a high order", it is now held by the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

, and has recently been described in the following terms: ''The gold diggers'' was exhibited at the Victorian Exhibition, attracting for Todt a number of commissions, including a

Madonna and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent i ...

for the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Melbourne. By 1856 Todt was considered one of the leading artists in Melbourne, although this mantle was shortly afterwards claimed by

Charles Summers Charles Summers (27 July 1825 – 24 October 1878) was an England, English sculptor active in London, Melbourne and Rome. He was an important figure in the Australian art world of the 1850s and 60s, and is particularly remembered as the creator ...

. During the 1860s, Todt made coloured, life-sized fruits and vegetables for display at the International Exhibitions at

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in 1862 and at

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in 1865. He also created relief maps of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and painted a portrait of

premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assemb ...

Richard Heales Richard Heales (22 February 1822 – 19 June 1864), Victorian colonial politician, was the 4th Premier of Victoria. Heales was born in London, the son of Richard Heales, an ironmonger. He was apprenticed as a coachbuilder and migrated to Victor ...

. Todt undertook his last major work in the early 1880s. This was the illustration of Ferdinand von Mueller's ''Eucalyptographia: a descriptive atlas of the Eucalypts of Australia and the adjoining islands''. In 1882, during the preparation of the work, von Mueller named ''

Eucalyptus todtiana ''Eucalyptus todtiana'', commonly known as coastal blackbutt pricklybark or , is a species of tree or a Mallee (habit), mallee that is Endemism, endemic to the west coast of Western Australia. It has rough, fibrous and flaky bark on the trunk, s ...

'' (Coastal Blackbutt) in honour of Todt, stating Two years later, the work was published, with Todt's contribution being over seventy lithographed illustrations. He died in Melbourne on 10 July 1900.

See also

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Further reading