John Michael Skipper (1815–1883) was an English and South Australian artist and solicitor. He was the eldest son of solicitor John Skipper and Jane (), whose brother was artist James Stark.

Early life

Skipper studied at

Norwich Grammar School Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as a ...

and was intended to follow his father into law, but his interest in art was encouraged by his uncle. In 1833, he left his study to become a midshipman on the ''Sherbourne'' for the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

. When he returned, he arranged to be

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to Charles Mann (appointed as the first Advocate-General of South Australia) and emigrate to the new

Colony of South Australia In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

on the arriving at

Holdfast Bay The Holdfast Bay is a small bay in Gulf St Vincent, next to Adelaide, South Australia. Along its shores lie the local government area of the City of Holdfast Bay and the suburbs of Glenelg and Glenelg North European settlement on Holdfast Bay ...

on 6 November 1836. He travelled in intermediate class, but was reported to have taken his meals in the 1st cabin.

Career

In South Australia, Skipper was associated with his mentor Charles Mann and lawyer

Edward Castres Gwynne Edward Castres Gwynne (13 February 1811 – 10 June 1888) was an English-born Australian lawyer, Supreme Court of South Australia judge and politician. Early life Gwynne was the son of the Rev. William Gwynne (1774–1825) rector of St Michael ...

. He was admitted to the bar of the

Supreme Court of South Australia The Supreme Court of South Australia is the superior court of the Australian state of South Australia. The Supreme Court is the highest South Australian court in the Australian court hierarchy. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in ...

in 1840. In 1851, Skipper joined many others 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 capita ...

. A year later he returned to South Australia with many sketches, but not gold. He moved to Port Adelaide as

Clerk of the Court A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...

and remained there until his retirement in 1872. As an artist, Skipper depicted nature, social events, and everyday life. His work has become a valuable record of life in the early stages of the colony.

Personal life

Skipper married Frances Amelia Thomas in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 28 December 1839. He had met her on the journey from England. Her parents were

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and Mary Thomas who had also been on the same ship. Frances died on 27 February 1855 (aged 36) leaving five children. Skipper married Frances' younger sister Mary on 28 April 1856 and had two more children with her. Mary died on 28 April 1883 aged 59.Genealogy SA death index Book/Page: 127/435 Skipper died on 7 December 1883, aged 66, without a will despite having worked in law most of his life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skipper, John Michael Settlers of South Australia Artists from South Australia 1815 births 1883 deaths