• Title
  George Street, Sydney, 1883 / Alfred Tischbauer
• Creator
  Alfred Tischbauer, active 1880-1895
• Call number
  DG 210
  Status: On display – Paintings from the Collection, Room 1, West Wall, no. 34
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  1883
• Type of material
  Graphic Materials, Paintings
• Reference code
  457263
• Issue Copy
  Digitised
• Physical Description
  1 painting - oil - 71.5 x 91.5 cm.
  
• ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
  
  Alfred Tischbauer was a teacher of perspective at East Sydney Technical College when he painted this work. Originally from Alsace, Tischbauer trained as a scene painter and designer and worked at the Paris Opera. He was involved in the Paris Communes of 1871, and like his fellow artist and teacher Lucien Henry, was exiled to New Caledonia and came to Sydney after a political amnesty in 1879. Tischbauer stayed only a few years in Sydney, then went to New York and became a successful stage designer.
  
  References:
  De Vries, Susanna. Historic Sydney as seen by its early artists. Rev. ed. North Ryde, N.S.W. : Angus & Robertson, 1987, c1983 Moore, William. The story of Australian art. Sydney : Angus & Robertson, 1934
  McCulloch, Alan. The encyclopedia of Australian art. 3rd ed. St Leonards, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 1994
• Copying Conditions
  Out of copyright: Artist died before 1955.
  Please acknowledge:: Dixson Galleries, State Library of New South Wales
• General note
  
  This picture shows the GPO after the clock was moved to overhang George Street, since pedestrians complained that they could not read the time when it was originally set into the facade (De Vries, S. Historic Sydney as seen by its early artists, Rev. ed. North Ryde, N.S.W. : Angus & Robertson, 1987, c1983). It is likely that the painting has been worked up from a photograph. (remarks by curator, Mitchell Library, 2007)
  "Just beyond the Post Office are the premises of John Sands Pty Ltd" -- notes accompanying print at V1/St/Geo/3
  
  "On the extreme left can be seen the old premises of Prince, Ogg & Company, Warehousemen. Between this building and the General Post Office stood Thomson and Giles, Mercers, and the Railway Booking Office. These buildings were demolished between 1890 and 1891, to make way for Martin Place, which was opened for traffic (between George and Pitt Streets), on 5th September, 1892.
  
  The George Street end of the General Post Office was opened for business in September, 1874. The cone shaped structure on the roof housed the bell of the clock in the days before the tower was built. The flag indicates that an overseas mail, landed at Melbourne by P.&O. ship and brought overland to Sydney, was ready for delivery. The shop, with a clock a few doors further up George Street, was that of H. E. Delarue, Jeweller.
  On the extreme right of the picture stands the Head Office of the Bank of New South Wales, with the Head Office of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney adjoining it. These buildings were erected on part of the old parade ground of the Military Barracks and completed in 1853 and 1854 respectively" (notes accompanying print of a watercolour by Albert Collins, 1948, based on the oil by Tischbauer, filed at SPF/Sydney - Streets - George Street 1883.
  
  A review of the 1883 Art Society of New South Wales exhibition in the Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday, 31 March 1883 p.5, makes the following reference to this painting: "A. Tischbauer has only sent one picture, No. 218, but that is so good that it is worth half a dozen less carefully painted. It is a view of George-street, from the north side of Wynyard-street, and looking south. The architectural work is finished to the utmost degree, the perspective is simply perfect; not a detail, as regards signs, &c., has been omitted, and the atmospheric effect is good. Cabs and other vehicles throng the street, while on the footpaths there is a bustling crowd of pedestrians, several portraits being introduced, among them those of Mr. Combes [president of the Society] and Mr. J. P. Russell."
  In the same exhibition were portraits of Tischbauer and Combes by J. P. Russell.
  Colour photolithographs with historical notes by W. C. Penfold & Co. Pty. Ltd. at V1/St/Geo/3, V1/St/Geo/4, DG V1A/23
  
  Colour print of a 1948 watercolour by Albert Collins based on this oil by Tischbauer at SPF/Sydney - Streets - George Street 1883
  Conserved 2007
  
  The painting is relined on a secondary canvas support on a stretcher.
  
  Two smaller oils by Tischbauer showing views of George Street were purchased from his nephew, J. P. Palmer, in 1966: George Street from Market Street, looking north (DG 381), and George Street from Bridge Street looking south (DG 382).
  
  On exhibition, Dixson Gallery 1, 22 Feb - 8 August 1990
  Digital order no:a1528170
• Subject
  Art, Colonial--New South Wales.
  Adult Females
  Adult Males
  
• Topic
  colonial art
  oil paintings
  streetscapes
  
• Place
  General Post Office (Sydney, N.S.W.)
  George Street (Sydney, N.S.W.)
  
• Exhibited in
  
  Paintings from the Collection - State Library of New South Wales (2018)
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE3234754

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