Jules François Archibald, known as J. F. Archibald, baptised John Feltham Archibald, (14 January 1856 – 10 September 1919), Australian journalist and publisher, was co-owner and editor of '' The Bulletin'' during the days of its greatest influence in Australian politics and literary life. He was also the founder and namesake of the annual

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

art award.

Biography

Born to an Irish Catholic family in Kildare, now known as

Geelong West, Victoria Geelong West is a commercial and residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. When Geelong was founded, the area was known as Kildare but its name was changed to Geelong West in 1875. The main street is Pakington Street. At the 2016 c ...

, he was baptised John Feltham Archibald, but changed his forenames in later life "when he became an enthusiast in everything French". Contemporary associates affectionately knew him as "Archie" and expressed admiration for his journalistic flair, literary perspicacity and culinary talents. He was also a target of humour because of his pretentious name change (pronounced "Jules Frankwa") and false pretensions to having a part-Scottish father and a French Jewish mother. After working as an accountant, journalist (with the Melbourne ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

''), public servant and miner in Victoria and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Archibald arrived in

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 Mounta ...

in 1878, where he formed a partnership with John Haynes and

William Macleod William Macleod (27 October 1850 – 24 June 1929), was an Australian artist and a partner in '' The Bulletin''. He was described as generous, hospitable, a 'big man with a ponderous overhang of waistfront, a trim, grey beard, the curling moust ...

, and on 31 January 1880 they launched ''The Bulletin'' as a weekly paper of political, business and literary news.

William Henry Traill William Henry Traill (7 May 1842 – 21 May 1902) was an Australian journalist and politician, commonly referred to as W. H. Traill. He was an early editor and for a period the principal proprietor of '' The Bulletin'' in Sydney.''Sydney Morning ...

became a partner in 1882, and the following year Archibald left for two years in London. When he returned in 1886, the magazine was struggling, and Archibald bought out the other partners. Under Archibald's sole control, and with

A. G. Stephens Alfred George Stephens (28 August 1865 – 15 April 1933), commonly referred to as A. G. Stephens, was an Australian writer and literary critic, notably for ''The Bulletin (Australian periodical), The Bulletin''. He was appointed to that posit ...

as his literary editor, ''The Bulletin'' became Australia's leading outlet for poets, cartoonists, and authors of fiction and humour. Archibald had no life outside the magazine and devoted his every waking hour to it. It was his decision to open ''The Bulletins pages to contributions from readers, and his brand of radical, republican, xenophobic politics that the magazine reflected for the 16 years he controlled its content. In 1902, Archibald's health broke down and he resigned the editorship, though retaining overall control. Unable to rest, he launched a new monthly magazine, '' The Lone Hand''. But soon afterwards, he had a complete collapse and spent several years in the

Callan Park Hospital for the Insane The Callan Park Hospital for the Insane (1878 – 1914) is a heritage-listed former insane asylum, which was subsequently, for a time, used as a college campus, located in the grounds of Callan Park, an area on the shores of Iron Cove in Lilyfi ...

.Ross, P
Who was the Archibald Prize named after?
at

Art Gallery of NSW The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

1999 Even from there, he kept writing, and in 1907 published ''The Genesis of The Bulletin'', an important source for the history of the magazine. Archibald's health never really recovered, and, in 1914, he sold his interest in ''The Bulletin''. He died in Sydney on 10 September 1919 and is buried in

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, 1878) and P. Beddie (cemetery office, 1915), ...

. In his will, he made the two bequests by which he is best remembered by the general public: funds for the

Archibald Fountain The Archibald Fountain, properly called the J. F. Archibald Memorial Fountain is located in Hyde Park, in central Sydney. It is named after J. F. Archibald, owner and editor of '' The Bulletin'' magazine, who bequeathed funds to have it bu ...

in Sydney's Hyde Park, which he specified must be designed by a French sculptor, and the

for portraiture, now Australia's most prestigious art prize.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Archibald, Jules Francois 1856 births 1919 deaths Australian magazine publishers (people) Australian magazine editors Australian people of Scottish descent Burials at Waverley Cemetery People from Geelong People from Warrnambool Australian magazine founders 19th-century Australian journalists 19th-century Australian male writers Australian people of Irish descent Australian accountants 19th-century Australian businesspeople Australian male journalists