- George French Angas
George French Angas (
25 April 1822 –4 October 1886 ) was a naturalist and painter.Angas was the eldest son of
George Fife Angas , prominent in the establishment of the new colony ofSouth Australia . The young Angas was born inNewcastle-on-Tyne . Turning his back on his father’s world of commerce directed his life towards art and nature, studying natural history, art and lithography before embarking on his travels which enabled him to apply all areas of his studies. As a youth he studied drawing and lithography and in 1842 published "A Ramble in Malta and Sicily" illustrated with his own sketches.Angas painted some of the earliest views of South Australia. Arriving in
Adelaide in January 1844, and travelling with Sir George Grey he soon began an extensive series of journeys to theMurray Lakes ,Barossa Valley ,Fleurieu Peninsula and the South East, presenting his impressions of the newly established colony – its inhabitants, landscape, and its flora and fauna.Following a trip to
New Zealand he returned toSouth Australia in 1845 and travelled toPort Lincoln . In the following year he visitedSouth Africa , working on a series of drawings and watercolours which were published in 1849 as "Kafirs Illustrated". In 1847 Angas set sail for London, with his now substantial portfolio of Australian water colours. These were published in the notable view book "South Australia Illustrated".Angas was in
Sydney when gold was first discovered nearBathurst, New South Wales . Travelling there to record the gold diggings he executed a number of drawings of the scenes that he found. These were published inSydney and subsequently inLondon .Angas returned to
South Australia in 1860, but returned toEngland in later life where he published several books onAustralia andPolynesia as well as illustrating accounts of exploration byJohn McDouall Stuart andJohn Forrest . He died in 1886.Many of George French Angas’s original watercolours are held in
National Library of Australia , as well as in a number of South Australian institutions:Art Gallery of South Australia ;University of Adelaide ;South Australian Museum ; andRoyal Geographical Society of South Australia .Publications
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2763719 "A Catalogue of paintings by George French Angas, illustrative of the natives and scenery of New Zealand and South Australia: also sketches in Brazil, Cape Verde Islands, New South Wales, &c. &c." (London?: s.n., 1846).]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn732368 George French Angas, "South Australia illustrated" (London: Thomas M'Lean, 1847).]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn759737 George French Angas, "The New Zealanders illustrated" (London: Thomas M'Lean, 1847).]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1847275 George French Angas, "The Kafirs illustrated in a series of drawings taken among the Amazulu, Amaponda and Amakosa tribes" (London: J. Hogarth, 1849).]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2254870 George French Angas, "Six views of the gold field of Ophir, at Summerhill and Lewis Ponds Creeks" (Sydney: Woolcott and Clarke, 1851).]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1730574 George French Angas, "Australia: a popular account of its physical features, inhabitants and productions, with the history of its colonization" (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1865?).]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1347341 George French Angas, "Polynesia: a popular description of the physical features, inhabitants, natural history and productions of the islands of the Pacific. With an account of their discovery, and of the progress of civilization and christianity amongst them" (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1866?).]References
*Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=George French|Last=Angas|Link=http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogA.html#angas2
*Australian Dictionary of Biography |last=Morgan |first= E. J. R. |id=A010019b |year=1966 |title=Angas, George French (1822 - 1886) |accessdate=2008-01-20External links
* [http://www.nla.gov.au/catalogue/pictures/ Angas' works in the
National Library of Australia ,Canberra ]
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