Samuel Thomas Gill, also known by his signature S.T.G., was an English-born Australian artist.

Early life

Gill was born in Periton,

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National P ...

, Somerset, England, in 1818. He was the son of the Reverend Samuel Gill, a Baptist minister, and his first wife, Winifred Oke. Rev. Gill became the headmaster of a school at Plymouth, where the son was first educated, then he continued to Dr Seabrook's Academy, Plymouth. Having moved to London, Gill appears to have exhibited his watercolours and worked as a draftsman at the Hubbard Public Gallery in London.

Australia

Osmund Gilles State Library of New South Wales a4216027h

] On 17 December 1839 Samuel Thomas Gill (or S.T. Gill) and his family arrived 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 ...

aboard the Caroline. His father Samuel Gill (snr.) settled at the Coromandel Valley, South Australia where he became the postmaster and opened a "Classical and Mathematical Preparatory School" for boys under twelve. His son S. T. Gill opened rooms at Gowler Place, Adelaide where he advertised portrait work and local scenery, "executed to order". One of the earlier works credited to Gill is a view of Hindley Street Adelaide, which was published as a coloured print 1844. His activities soon expanded to include street scenes and public events, including the newly discovered copper mines at

Burra Burra Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company ...

and the departure of

Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from Sydney and la ...

's expedition for the interior on 8 October 1844. His sketching tours of the districts surrounding

, produced a number of watercolours. Gill took an interest in photography – ordering a

daguerreotype Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...

camera and the other necessary equipment in 1846, and setting up as a professional photographer. With public interest in the new medium not forthcoming, Gill sold his camera to Robert Hall prior to his departure with John Horrocks' expedition northwards to the

Flinders Ranges The Flinders Ranges are the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts about north of Adelaide. The ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. The Adnyamathanha people are the Aboriginal group who have inhabi ...

later in 1846. While on this expedition he made the first sketch of these ranges. Horrocks, the first settler of South Australia's

Clare Valley The Clare Valley is a valley located in South Australia about north of Adelaide in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys council area. It is the river valley formed by the Hutt River but is also strongly associated with the roughly parallel Hill Riv ...

, mounted a small expedition to search for suitable farming land in the country northwest of Mount Arden in the southern

. This expedition was the first in Australia to use camels but even so ended after Horrocks accidentally discharged his gun and received a charge of shot in his face. Gill dressed the wounds but 'mortification set in' and the young explorer died forcing the party to return to Adelaide. Upon his return Gill organised an exhibition to sell the watercolours and pencil sketches of this fateful trip but sales appear to have been slow and he was eventually forced to raffle them. In 1849 he published ''Heads of the People'', which contained 12 lithographic sketches of well-known South Australian colonists. In 1851 gold was discovered in Victoria and following a series of personal tragedies including bankruptcy and ill health, Gill joined a large group of South Australians heading for the

Mount Alexander Mount Alexander is a mountain located approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne, near the town of Harcourt. It rises 350 metres above the surrounding area to a level of 744 metres above sea level. Being a prominent local landmark, ...

gold fields,

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 ...

. It is possible he tried his hand at gold-mining but presumably he had no luck as he was soon recording life on the gold fields and the emergence of substantial towns like those of

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

and

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in 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 population of 100,991, makin ...

. By August 1852 he had published a set of 24

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

s of "Sketches of the Victoria Gold Diggings and Diggers As They Are". Although they were described as "Part 1", no further parts were published. Late in 1852 Gill moved to Melbourne where his exhibition of sketches and watercolours from the goldfields attracted so much attention that a firm of lithographers, Messrs. Macartney and Galbraith, later succeeded by J. S. Campbell and Co., engaged Gill to reproduce the works on lithographic stone. The results were so successful that the entire set was republished in London. In February 1853, he exhibited some watercolour drawings made from sketches done on the Horrocks expedition. S T Gill State Library of NSW a6288001h

By 1854 Gill had taken residence in Melbourne and aside from a year in Sydney lived there for the rest of his life. Here he worked for the booksellers and publishers J. J. Blundell and Co. and had a studio above their premises in Collins Street. Blundell's son Mr. Blundell recalls that in 1853 Gill used this studio to work his designs directly on stone using a glass to aid him in the necessary reversals. The stones were then sent to Campbell and Fergusson's workshop a few doors away, where the reproduction work was carried out, and the resulting prints were returned to Blundell and Co. bearing the names of both the lithographer and publisher. He also produced works for Messrs' Sands and Kenny and over this period he produced a number of lithographs on stone as well as works engraved on copper and steel. At the height of this success Gill decided to move to Sydney where he worked on the publication of views of New South Wales, and a Kangaroo hunt, with Allen and Wigley. But by 1857 he was back in Melbourne providing designs for Sands and Kenny's elaborate ''Victoria Illustrated''. Gill's skill as a lithographer resulted in the production of a number of works during this period. These included: ''The Australian Sketch Book'' (1855), ''Scenery in and Around Sydney'' (1856), ''Victoria Illustrated'' (1857), ''Sketches in Victoria'' (1860), ''Second Series of Victoria Illustrated'' (1862), and a set of coloured lithographs, ''Bush Life'' (1865). In 1859 Mr. Edward Wilson selected Gill to illustrate his book, ''Rambles in the Antipodes''. He also procured a major commission from the Trustees of the

Melbourne Public Library State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

in 1869, to reproduce 40 of his earlier watercolours of life on the Victorian goldfields. At the same time as the Melbourne Public Library commission, Gill prepared a largely identical set of 53 watercolours under the title drawing of ''The Goldfields of Victoria During 1852–53. Comprising Fifty Sketches of Life and Character Primative'' (sic) ''Operations etc, etc., By S.T. Gill Melbourne, 1872''. By the end of the 1860s Gill was at the height of his success and appears to have indulged in the many temptations on offer in Melbourne and Sydney at this time. He frequented the resorts of the

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

s of the day such as Cafe de Paris, Charlie Wright's dancing-rooms, the bars of the Theatre Royal or Stutt's Buffet. Unfortunately Gill appears to have fallen into a dissolute life of drink and the demand for his work started to fall off. Over the latter part of his life he was often destitute and even bartered his sketches for drinks at his favourite watering holes like the Mitre Tavern. Gill's last commissions was given to him by the architect, Mr. Arthur Peck. On 27 October 1880, Gill was adding embellishments to the perspective view of a building. But according to the report in The Sun his hands shook to such an extent that the architect mistrusted his fitness for holding a brush and put him off until the following day. Gill wandered out into the Melbourne streets but clearly his health by this time was broken through drink and

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

, and as he tried to climb the steps of the Melbourne Post Office he collapsed and died from an aneurism of the aorta." In 1880 he was buried in a pauper's grave. In 1913 a tombstone was erected over his remains at the suggestion of Mr. A. W. Greig, and thanks to a subscription raised by the

Historical Society of Victoria The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a community organisation promoting the history of the state of Victoria, Australia. It functions to promote and research the history of that state after settlement, and as an umbrella organisation for ...

. The stone bears the simple inscription: "Samuel Thomas Gill, The artist of the Goldfields. Born 1818. Died 1880".

Gallery

File:The first subscription ball, Ballarat, 1854, watercolour by Samuel Thomas Gill.jpg, This image shows people on the goldfields in Australia at a dance in 1854.

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establish ...

File:S. T. Gill, Rundle Street looking east, Adelaide.jpg, ''Rundle Street looking east'', 1846 (Adelaide (

Pirie Street Pirie Street is a road on the east side of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It runs east–west, between East Terrace and King William Street. After crossing King William Street, it continues as Waymouth Street. It forms the souther ...

): Published by Penman & Galbraith, 1851, lithograph ; sheet 20.2 x 25.7 cm.

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

. File:S.T. Gill Country NW of tableland.jpg, ''Country NW of tableland'', 22 August 1846, watercolour ; 19 x 30.7 cm. Painted from sketches made during the Horrocks expedition. National Library of Australia. File:S.T. Gill, Royal Arcade, Melbourne, ca. 1854.jpg, ''Royal Arcade, Melbourne'', ca. 1854, watercolour on paper; 62 x 81 cm. National Library of Australia. File:S.T. Gill, Diggings in the Mount Alexander district of Victoria in 1852.jpg, ''Diggings in the Mount Alexander district of Victoria in 1852'', 1874, watercolour on paper; 24.5 x 35 cm. National Library of Australia. File:The Grand Cricket Match.jpg, The grand cricket match: England v New South Wales, Outer Domain, Sydney, Jan. 29, 30, 31 & 1 Feb. 1862; watercolour,

. File:S T Gill Advertising State Library of New South Wales a1568056.jpg, Original sketches, 1844-1866, by S.T. Gill, drawings and watercolours from original portfolio, State Library of New South Wales
PX*D 383
File:Lapstone Hill S T Gill State Library of New South Wales a6251001h.jpg, Lapstone Hill, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, ca. 1856, by S.T. Gill, watercolour, State Library of New South Wale
DG V*/Sp Coll/Gill/12

Publications

*Gill, S. (1852). Sketches of the Victorian gold diggings and diggers as they are, 1852 icturebr>Q85/146
*Gill, S., & H. H. Collins & Co. (1853). Sketches of the Victoria Gold Diggings and Diggers as They Are. Part I icture/ by S.T.G.
Q85/57
*Gill, S. (1855). Sketches in Victoria. No. -4/ drawn on stone by S.T.G. Melbourne: James J. Blundell
DSM/741/G
*Gill, S., & J. Luntley & Co. (1855). Sketches of the gold diggers comprising 16 chromo-lithographic plates. London: J. Luntley &.
85/536
*Gill, S. T. (Samuel Thomas), (1855)
Sketches in Victoria. No. (1–4)
Melbourne: J.J. Blundell. *Gill, S. T. (Samuel Thomas), (1855)
The Australian sketch book
Melbourne, s.n. *Gill, S., & Allan & Wigley. (1856). Scenery in & around Sydney icture/ by S.T.G
Q85/53
*Gill, S., & Tingle, J. (1857). Victoria illustrated. Melbourne: Sands, Kenny
RB/DQ992A/2
*Gill, S. T. (Samuel Thomas), (1857)
Victoria illustrated
Melbourne: Sands & Kenny. *Gill, S. T. (Samuel Thomas), (1862)
Victoria illustrated
Second series, with descriptive letterpress, Melbourne: Sands, Kenny. *Gill, S. (1864). The Australian sketch book / by S.T.Gill. Melbourne]: Hamel & Ferguson
RB/F990.1A/11
*Gill, S., & Allan & Wigley. (1865). Sydney illustrated. Sydney: Allan & Wigley
Q981.1/G
*Gill, S. T. (1869). ''The Victorian Gold Fields During 1852 & 3, Comprising Forty Original Sketches By S.T. Gill: Drawn By Desire of the Trustees of the M.P.L.'', State Library Victoria, Melbourne Public Library, , reprinted Gill, S. T. and Michael Cannon (ed.) (1982) as ''The Victorian Gold Fields, 1852-3: An Original Album'', J. Currey, OŃeil Publishers, * Gill, S. (1872). The gold fields of Victoria during 1852–3 : Comprising 50 original sketches. Melbourne
Q87/83

References and sources

; References

External links

*Gill, S., & H. H. Collins & Co. (1853). Sketches of the Victoria Gold Diggings and Diggers as They Are. Part I icture/ by S.T.G.
online State Library of New South Wales
*Dutton Geoffrey, 1981
S.T. Gill's Australia
South Melbourne: Macmillan. *Serle, Percival, (1949)

Dictionary of Australian Biography, Angus and Robertson. *Appleyard Ron, Fargher Barbara, and Radford Ron, (1986)
S.T. Gill: the South Australian years, 1839–1852
Adelaide: Art Gallery of South Australia. *Grishin Sasha, (2015)
S.T. Gill and his audiences
Canberra, A.C.T.: National Library of Australia Publishing, 2015)].
The gold-finder of Australia : how he went, how he fared, and how he made his fortune
1853, edited by John Sherer
Royal Geographical Society of South AustraliaPortrait of an Artist

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

*E. J. R. Morgan
'Gill, Samuel Thomas (1818–1880)'

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 ...