John Lhotsky (1795–1866) was a Galicia-born
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
naturalist, lecturer, artist and author. He wrote and published on the topics of zoology, botany, geology, geography and politics. Lhotsky was active in the early colonies of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
from 1832 until 1838. During his sojourn in Australia, Lhotsky described himself, and was known as, Polish.
Early life
Lhotsky, whose first name is also given as Joannes Lhotsky, Johann Lhotsky and Jan Lhotsky, was born in Lemberg,
Galicia,
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
(now
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
), the son of
Joseph Lhotsky. He moved to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
in 1812 and was awarded his doctorate from the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
. He became a member of the
Bavarian Botanical Society during this period. In 1819 he published a botanical work ''Flora Conchica'', and other papers for scientific journals, however, his political writing led to a prison sentence of six years. He was released in 1828.
Travel to Australia
Lhotsky was commissioned, by
Ludwig I of Bavaria
en, Louis Charles Augustus
, image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825
, succession=King of Bavaria
, reign =
, coronation ...
, to explore and describe the 'new world', spending eighteen months in Brazil before travelling to Australia. He landed at Sydney on 18 May 1832, moved to
Hobart in 1836, and sailed to London 1838. While in Australia, and after his return to Europe, he published seminal works on a range of topics. In addition to his books and articles, his works include landscape paintings, and zoological and
botanical illustration
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 ...
s.
He produced numerous articles for newspapers and scientific journals, describing his investigations of the
natural history of Australia. His first work on this topic is supposed to have been 'Australian sketches, no l', anonymously published in the ''
Sydney Gazette
''The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser'' was the first newspaper printed in Australia, running from 5 March 1803 until 20 October 1842. It was a semi-official publication of the government of New South Wales, authorised by Governo ...
''. The account of his expedition, ''A Journey from Sydney to the Australian Alps'', was important for the description of the
Monaro region and
Snowy River
The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...
.
One article, ''Song of the Women of the Menero Tribe'', gives the earliest specimen of Australian music.
Lhotsky also visited the site of the future capital,
Canberra, and was the first to note the name 'Kembery' from which it derived.
His unpublished works include a vocabulary of the
Tasmanian peoples. He published art criticism in Sydney from 1834 onwards, and is noted as the first to do so, describing the possibilities of the Australian landscape as a subject and its absence in the colony's active artists.
Lhotsky obtained an interview with
William Buckley.
The volume ''Illustrations of the Present State and Future Prospects of New South Wales'' (1835–36) was published by
William Moffit
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...
with coloured plates, and gave the "State of Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales".
Lhotsky made important scientific collections and discoveries while in Australia, although he did not succeed in gaining the posts he sought as the official zoologist or naturalist. He attempted to sell his scientific specimens to the authorities, for the foundation of a collection at the
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest museum in Australia,Design 5, 2016, p.1 and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the ...
, but his offer was rejected with a comment that the price was too high. Lhotsky made early collections of
Alpine flora in New South Wales, and arranged a collection of 200 species from Tasmania.
He also collected mineralogical samples and specimens of the native fauna. These early collections were advertised, and sold from his private concern, the "Australian Philosophical Repository".
Lhotsky's works in Australia include the completion of a geological map of the
Tasman Peninsula
The Tasman Peninsula, officially Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula, is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania, Australia, approximately by the Arthur Highway, south-east of Hobart.
The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula ...
.
He has also been credited as the first discoverer of gold in New South Wales, although his later attempts to seek reward for this failed.
His artwork was also advertised and raffled, depicting scenes of the Australian landscape and its unique flora.
After Australia
After arriving in London he wrote ''The state of arts in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land'', the first review of art in Australia.
Many of the scientific illustrations produced by Lhotsky, such as those of fishes, were thought to have been commissioned; the lithographs and other printed works credited to him were often derived from the sketches he received from convicts. Lhotsky also wrote a biographical sketch on
Ferdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Lucas Bauer (20 January 1760 – 17 March 1826) was an Austrian botanical illustrator who travelled on Matthew Flinders' expedition to Australia.
Biography Early life and career
Bauer was born in Feldsberg in 1760, the youngest son ...
, whom he greatly admired, for the ''London Journal of Botany'',
[Lhotsky, J. " Biographical sketch of Ferdinand Bauer" London journal of botany 2 pp. 106 – 113] and placed letters from Bauer, written on the
''Investigator'' expedition to Australia, with the
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
.
His sketch of the highly regarded
botanical illustrator
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 ...
was the earliest source of biographical information,
the only one for a century after Bauer's death. After his arrival in London, Lhotsky continued to publish material on politics and social commentary, as he had in Vienna and Australia. He died at the Dalston German Hospital in London on 23 November 1866 in apparent dire poverty.
Lhotsky was variously appreciated or damned in the colonies. He was frequently published in local newspapers and, later, castigated in the same. His public disputes with officials led to his leaving New South Wales for Tasmania, then two years later for London. He published many articles on his discoveries and experience in Australia for a public eager for information on the colonies, but some of this was described as slanderous in the ''Sydney Gazette''. He found critics in London too.
Impey Murchison described him as the "mad Pole". Later commentators recognised the contribution of the scientist and that his failures were due to indiscretion with his monies and criticism.
The genus ''
Lhotskia'', of the family of fish
Belonidae
Needlefish (family Belonidae) or long toms are piscivorous fishes primarily associated with very shallow marine habitats or the surface of the open sea. Some genera include species found in marine, brackish, and freshwater environments (e.g., ...
, was named for this author, as were the species of shrubs ''Lhotskya'', later transferred to ''
Calytrix
''Calytrix'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae described as a genus in 1806. They are commonly known as starflowers. ''Calytrix'' are endemic to Australia, occurring in the (Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and Wes ...
''.
References
Further reading
*
Clark, Dymphna, ''"Dr John Lhotsky Versus
Baron von Hugel, 1834–1848"'', Journal of the
Royal Australian Historical Society
The Royal Australian Historical Society, formerly Australian Historical Society, is a voluntary organisation founded in Sydney, Australia in 1901Helen Doyle, "Royal Australian Historical Society" in Graeme Davison, John Hirst and Stuart Ma ...
, 78 (3–4): 133–148, 1992
* Irving, Terry and
Rowan Cahill
Rowan Cahill (born 1945) is an Australian radical historian and journalist, with a background as a teacher and farmhand, who variously worked for the trade union movement as a rank and file activist, delegate and publicist.
Biography
Rowan Cahil ...
, ''Radical Sydney: Places, Portraits and Unruly Episodes'', UNSW Press, Sydney, 2010, pp. 28–35.
*
Kruta, V., ''Dr John Lhotsky – the Turbulent Australian Writer, Naturalist & Explorer'', Australian Felix Literary Club, Melbourne, 1977.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lhotsky, Johannes
1795 births
1866 deaths
Explorers of Australia
Scientists from Lviv
People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Austrian naturalists
19th-century Austrian botanists
Botanists active in Australia
University of Jena alumni
Austrian expatriates in Germany
Austrian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Austrian expatriates in Australia