S.T. Gill – Works – 1844 to 1846

The Adelaide Plains: Taken from Wheal Watkins Lead Mine | State Library of South Australia B 39109
Artist: Gill, S.T. (after) | Date: 1846-04
Catalogue: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

A view of the Adelaide Plains, in the distance showing Adelaide (centre) and the Port (right). The Wheal Watkins lead mine commenced operation in May 1844. The mine is described South Australian Almanac 1845, p.164.

Published as the frontispiece in Francis Dutton's "South Australia and its mines" (1846). The book was published in London by at least April 1846 when it was advertised for sale in London's "Morning Post". This plate is credited (in error) to "E. Gill". Dutton had departed South Australia on the barque "John Heyes" in February 1845 and it's likely the (untraced) original for the plate predates Dutton's departure.

Map | S. T. Gill - Adelaide District

343

Residence of C. Campbell, Esq. | Work untraced n/a
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1845~/1846~ | Appleyard cat. n/a
Catalogue: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

Exhibited in February 1847 exhibition no. 50 "Residence of C. Campbell, Esq.". A work of the same title was also shown (no. 46) by Martha Berkeley. This is "Lochend House" on the Torrens River (section 309) of Charles James Fox Campbell.

Berkeley's was described as "a view of Mr Charles Campbell's house and garden, taken from the opposite banks of the Torrens" and based on a pencil sketch by her husband. South Australian Register, 29 October 1845: 3. <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27451227>.

Map | S. T. Gill - Adelaide District

806

[Drove of cattle by pond in the bush] | National Library of Australia NK286
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1844~/1846~ | Appleyard cat. 24 | 21.8(H) x 34.6(W) cm
Catalogue: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

A man on horseback drives a mob of cattle past a body of water (pool, chain of ponds, stream). A hill is in the background and a honeysuckle (banksia) in the foreground.

Gill exhibited no. 065, "A Stockman after Cattle, S.A." in the 1847 exhibition and I have assigned that name to this work.

This picture is closely related to NLA NK317 (size, subjects, style, colouring).

This is a similar scene to Gill's later "Mt. Crawford Barrossa [sic] Range. So. A." (SLNSW-M PX*D 383 f.05).

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[Cattlemen and natives by gum trees] | National Library of Australia NK317
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1844~/1846~ | Appleyard cat. 25 | 21.7(H) x 34.2(W) cm
Catalogue: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

In this scene three Aboriginal people - a man, a woman and one other - are seated around a camp fire between a few gum trees. Two colonists approach on horseback and one dismounts to light his pipe from the fire. Cattle are in the middle ground and hills in the background. Towards the left of picture is what could be a honeysuckle (banksia) but looks more like a wattle with galls. This picture embodies two of Gill's strong themes: pipe light and two horsemen / stockmen.

Gill revisits his pipe-light theme of Stockman getting a pipe light from an Aboriginal couple | NLA NK7063/14 .

This picture is closely related to NLA NK286 (size, subjects, style, colouring).

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Black Hill, Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia | National Library of Australia NK1936
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1844~/1845~ | Appleyard cat. n/a | 17.9(H) x 28(W) cm
Catalogue: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

This view is up Montacute Road towards Black Hill. Charles William Stuart's farm on Section 301 is on the left; section 40 on the right, The road skirts around the hill and runs to the Montacute Copper Mine in Section 5586.

Angas also painted this view (NLA R6412). It is not overly surprising that Angas and Gill shared artistic subjects with the latter probably helping the former identify scenes. Jones (2021) discusses Angas' connection to C D E Fortnum, half brother, business partner and neighbour of Stuart. This work could have been for Stuart whose homestead, superb fencing (Stuart was a fencer) and land is featured. It could have been for Fortnum when he left to return to England in June 1845.

This is neither signed nor dated by Gill. This picture is similar to "Approach to Mount Crawford" (AGSA 744HP4) and the gum trees here are very simiar to "Frome Bridge" (NLA R35). These suggest a date 1844~/1845~. This work may have been trimmed: it has irregular edges, is slightly smaller than the former two, lacks an edge line of "Frome Bridge" and a cow has lost it's nose!

Map | S. T. Gill - Adelaide District

268

Stuart's Black Hill farm, South Australia | National Library of Australia R6412
Artist: Angas, G.F. | Date: 1844/1845-06~
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

Charles William Stuart's farm on Section 301. A similar view to Gill's work (NLA NK1936). It is not overly surprising that Angas and Gill shared artistic subjects with the latter probably helping the former identify scenes. Jones (2021) discusses Angas' connection to C D E Fortnum, half brother, business partner and neighbour of Stuart.

Map | S. T. Gill - Adelaide District

791

Port Adelaide looking east along North Parade | Art Gallery of South Australia 0.1181
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1845/1846 | Appleyard cat. 51
Catalogue: S.T. Gill - Works - 1844 to 1846

This is almost identical to AGSA 0.657, but the scene is about a year earlier, being before the two storey Port Tavern.

Appleyard documents the signature as "STG 1846", reproducing it in his appendix. (Could it read 1845?)

On acquisition by AGSA (Bulletin of the National Gallery of South Australia, April 1943), the hotel at right - with front light - was identified as the "Hen and Chickens" Inn, which in 1845 was started by John Watkins and was then transfered to Robert Hayman. The "Hen and Chickens" was the subject of an odd Police Court case in June-July 1846, suggesting the possibility of a topical painting by Gill. The inn was renamed "Ship Inn" when Hayman renewed his licence in March 1847.

Map | S. T. Gill - Port Adelaide

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