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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 42 | December 1999


Lawson in paint

Portrait of Henry Lawson

This small, semi-formal sketch of Henry Lawson by John Longstaff was acquired recently for the Library’s Pictorial Collection. It is painted from life, possibly one of several studies done in relation to the larger and ‘finished’ portrait by Longstaff, dated 1900, held in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

The informality of this bold and vigorously executed sketch, catching the subject slightly off-guard, permits the viewer a glimpse into the fragile nature of Henry Lawson’s character. It is the immediacy accentuating Lawson’s vulnerability, less apparent in the formal portrait, which particularly lends appeal to this work.

The portrait complements correspondence, drafts and notes by Lawson held in the Library's Manuscript Collection.

John Longstaff (1861–1941)
Portrait of Henry Lawson [1900]
painting; oil on canvas; 41 x 30.5 cm
From the Pictorial Collection, R11550

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