James Walsh ( 1833–1871) was a transported

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convict ...

and artist. He is known for artworks depicting the early

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

and native Australian life. He is also thought to have been responsible for a number of fine-quality classical drawings on the wall of

Fremantle Prison Fremantle Prison, sometimes referred to as Fremantle Gaol or Fremantle Jail, is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia. The site includes the prison cellblocks, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottage ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, which were accidentally uncovered beneath whitewash in 1945.

Imprisonment

Walsh, a clerk and painter, was convicted at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

, London, in 1852 aged 20 for stealing two diamond crosses and 13 diamonds from Jean-Baptiste Girard. He was also charged with forging an order of goods. He received 15 years'

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

. He arrived in Western Australia on board ''Ramillies'' on 10 August 1854 and was held at Fremantle convict establishment for two years. He was released for four months then convicted again for forgery of a one-pound note. For this crime he was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. At some time during this sentence, he is thought to have drawn intricate drawings of religious figures, Roman and Greek mythological depictions, and images of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

on the walls of his small cell. He was released in 1867 and worked as a painter and clerk until his death from tuberculosis in 1871. Almost a century later, in 1964, intricate classically styled artworks and texts were uncovered in a storeroom that was once his cell after a prison guard damaged the wall by accident, removing whitewash and revealing the artwork. One incomplete sentence reads "J Walsh left this cell 9 mar". Today the cell can be viewed as part of tours of the now-closed prison site. Walsh is also credited with several artworks displayed at the

Art Gallery of Western Australia The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is a public art gallery that is part of the Perth Cultural Centre, in Perth. It is located near the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia and is supported and managed by the ...

depicting the early Swan River Colony, including a set of twelve watercolour sketches depicting native Australian life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, James Convicts transported to Western Australia Australian folklore 1871 deaths Year of birth uncertain