• Title
  Conrad Martens papers, 1835-1878, with associated material 1897-1919, 1951
• Creator
  Conrad Martens, 1801-1878
• Call number
  DLMS 142
  DLMS 143
  DLMS 144
  DLMSQ 313
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  1835-1919, 1951
• Type of material
  Textual Records, Clippings
• Reference code
  457545
• Physical Description
  0.115 metres of textual material (4 volumes) - manuscript. typescript, and typescript, carbon
  
• ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
  
  Conrad Martens, artist, was born at Crutched Friars near the Tower of London in 1801. He left England in 1833 after accepting an offer of a three-year voyage to the East Indies Station (Indian Ocean and South-East Asia). Martens later transferred to the Beagle at Montevideo, Uruguay where he became associated with a group of observant scientists including Charles Darwin. He arrived in Sydney in 1835 where he remained until his death in 1878. In 1837 he married Jane Brackenbury, their first child Rebecca was born in 1838 and their second daugter Elizabeth in 1839. A son, born in 1844, died in infancy. Most of his work consists of landscape sketches, mostly watercolours of Sydney.
• Scope and Content
  Notes on painting, 1835-1878:
  
  File 1: Notes on painting, 1835-1856 (Call No. DLMS 142)
  Technical notes on painting techniques including transcriptions from published sources with an extract catalogue of painting commissions and prices charged, 1835-1856, titled 'Account of pictures painted at Sydney N.S.W.' (Call No.: DLMS 142)
  
  File 2: Sketch book, July 1851, 1856-1878 (Call No. DLMS 143)
  Continuation of the above with additional notes on astronomy and metalwork, includes lists of paintings sold, 25 January 1856 - 27 July 1878 and a loose sheet detailing lithographs published, July 1851.
  
  
  Correspondence and papers:
  
  File 3: Conrad Martens letterbook, 23 October 1849 - 22 July 1854 (Call No.: DLMS 144)
  Letterbook mostly concerned with domestic affairs and practical details about freighting pictures etc. Describes conditions for painters in Australia, 13 Sept. 1850. Recipients include James Mitchell, 23 Oct. 1949 - 18 Mar. 1851 and his brother Henry Martens, 19 November 1949-9 June 1854.
  
  Titled `Conrad Martens sketch book' on volume cover.
  
  File 4: Conrad Martens papers, 1849-1919 (Call No.: DLMSQ 313)
  
  A. Typescript copy of Letterbook, 23 October 1849 - 22 July 1854 (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 1: Issue microfilm at CY 4761)
  
  B. Letters, 24 February 1856-6 June 1878
  Concerning domestic affairs including Martens' draft resignation from his position as parliamentary librarian, a copy of a letter to Charles Darwin and a copy of a letter to General Macarthur. Other recipients include his wife Jane Martens, his brother Henry Martens, his sister Mary Anne Martens and Thomas Fielding. . (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 2: Issue CY 4761)
  
  C. Biographical notes:
  Notes on family and early life of Martens and his life in Australia. Also includes reviews of some of his paintings and a testimonial from Alexander Berry. (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 3: Issue CY 4761)
  
  D. Newspaper cuttings, 2 June 1851-5 Oct. 1875 ; 17 March 1951
  Miscellaneous cuttings, mainly from the Sydney Morning Herald about art in New South Wales and scientific matters, most probably collected by Martens. (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 4: Issue CY 4761)
  
  E. Miscellaneous, 1897 - 8 April 1919:
  Office copy of Conrad Martens will, 27 Sep. 1878 and 2 office copies of his daughter Rebecca Martens' will, attested copies 10 April 1919. Typescript.
  Label, Art Loan Exhibition, 1897, from painting by Conrad Martens owned by Rebecca Martens (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 7: Issue CY 4761)
  Note by Rebecca Martens identifying picture painted by her father Conrad Martens (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 7: Issue CY 4761)
  Notes (typescript) copied from Martens sketchbooks nos. 4 and 5, includes a list of artists compiled by Martens around 1846. (Call No.: DLMSQ 313, Item 7: Issue CY 4761)
• Language
  English
• General note
  
  Transferred from DLSPENCER 237, DLSPENCER 330, DLSPENCER 331, DLSPENCER 417
  Microfilm copy of DLMS 142 available at CY 252. Copy prints located at CY DLMS 142 and MLMSS 1333. Microfilm copy of DLMS 143 available at CY 454, frames 646-736.
  Digital order no:a2488001
• Creator/Author/Artist
  Martens, Rebecca, 1838-1909
  
• Subject
  Artists--Australia--19th century.
  Lithographers--Australia.
  Painters--Australia.
  Dixson Library (N.S.W.)
  
• Exhibited in
  
  Journeys through Landscapes - Conrad Martens Life & Art - State Library of New South Wales (21 November, 1994 - 3 July, 1995)
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE3243787

View Media Files

1.

Show more