Ernest Edward Moffitt (15 September 1871 – 23 March 1899) was an Australian artist.

Life

Moffitt was born in

Bendigo, Victoria Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...

the son of John Thomas Lowry Moffitt, draper, and his wife Mary Emily, ''née'' Rogers. He was educated at All Saints school, St. Kilda,

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 ...

. When Marshall Hall opened his conservatorium of music at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, Moffitt was the first student to enroll. Moffitt subsequently became secretary of the conservatorium and for a short while studied art at the

national gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

school at Melbourne. Moffitt was friendly with a group of the younger artists which included Lionel and

Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of his genera ...

, did a little painting and etching, but was chiefly remarkable for his beautiful pen drawings. Three of these, reproduced in Lionel Lindsay's ''A Consideration of the Art of Ernest Moffitt'', are especially good, "The Old Well", "Zeehan Wharf", and "A Summer's Day". Moffitt also did three drawings for Hall's ''Hymn to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

''.

Legacy

Moffitt died unmarried in 1899 aged just 27, he was buried in

St Kilda Cemetery St Kilda Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria. History St Kilda Cemetery covers a large block bordered by Dandenong Road, Hotham Street, Alma Road and Alexandra Street. It is bounded by a historic wall and conta ...

. Moffitt was also fond of old English pottery, bound books, carved pipes and Japanese furniture. Marshall Hall financed a book on Moffit by Lionel Lindsay, it acknowledged 'a fine artist and what is saddest, the promise of a great one'.

References

* *Roger Butler,
Moffitt, Ernest Edward (1871 - 1899)
, ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 10, MUP, 1986, p. 538.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moffitt, Ernest 1871 births 1899 deaths 19th-century Australian artists People from Bendigo Artists from Victoria (state) National Gallery of Victoria Art School alumni