Exhibitions
Simpkinson’s Hobart
Opens 21-03-2019, closes 16-06-2019
A selection of watercolours by Francis Guillemard Simpkinson de Wesselow (1819-1906) painted en plein air around Hobart between 1845 and 1848 is on show, with a panorama of Hobart Town in 1848 as the centrepiece.
Simpkinson was a naval officer and artist, who arrived in Hobart in 1844 to work at the Rossbank Magnetic Observatory where he also lived. The site was significant to the many sketches and watercolours he produced in Hobart. It offered expansive views of the Derwent and Mt Wellington and was just a stone’s throw from the location of his impressive 360° panorama Hobart Town in 1848.
Simpkinson painted avidly during his time in Hobart and throughout mainland Tasmania and to Flinders Island and Victoria. Each of his sketches are inscribed with the location and date of the scene pictured, creating a detailed record of his itinerary.
Presented in conjunction with the Royal Society of Tasmania in celebration of their 175th anniversary.
Image: Hobart Town in 1848 (detail), 1848, F G Simpkinson (de Wesselow), pencil, watercolour and chinese white on six sheets