- George Collingridge
George Collingridge (1847-1931) was an Australian writer and illustrator best known today for his early assertions of
Portuguese discovery of Australia in the 16th century.He was born in
Oxfordshire ,England , educated inParis , and migrated to Australia in 1879 aboard the "Lusitania" (not the ship of the same name that sank in 1915, but another one). He settled in the then isolated area of Berowra, before moving to nearbyHornsby, New South Wales . Since his French academic qualifications as a "Professeur" were not recognised by Australian universities, he worked as an artist and art teacher, and contributed drawings and articles to local newspapers. He founded the first Australian art magazine, and was one of the founders of theRoyal Art Society of New South Wales .His publication of "The Discovery of Australia" in 1895 earned him accolade as a "genius" and as "an authority on geographical matters" from members of the
Royal Geographical Society as well as foreign honours: in 1908 he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of Santiago by the King ofPortugal . In 1917 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Isabella la Catolica by the King ofSpain . However, not everyone was as complimentary; his official biographer, O.H.K. Spate, described him as of "undisciplined intellect" and lacking a "rigorously judicial habit of mind"; the book was a financial failure; and a proposed scheme to use a simplified version of the book, "The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea" (1906), in schools was withdrawn.Collingridge published "Alice in One Dear Land" in 1922. It is a handmade book with numerous small tipped in plates. Alice is depicted in the Australian bush with a koala, this is the first depiction of "
Alice in Wonderland " in an Australian setting.Collingridge's distant relative,
Vanessa Collingridge , published a book on Captain Cook, entitled "Captain Cook" (2002), and the publication of this book has caused a certain resurgence of interest in George Collingridge in recent years.External links
* [http://gcs.pjf.id.au/ George Collingridge Society]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms9395 Papers of George Collingridge at the National Library of Australia]
*
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