Item 06: Drawings for ‘Spirit of the Bush’, ca. 1897-1898 / drawn by George Washington Lambert

PX*D 200

item

ca. 1897-1898

Graphic Materials, Drawings

825841

19 drawings - pen and ink - various sizes

George Washington Lambert (1873-1930), artist, was born on 13 September 1873 at St Petersburg. The family migrated, reaching Sydney on 20 January 1887. Lambert died on 29 May 1930 at Cobbity, near Camden. He was buried in the Anglican section of South Head cemetery. During the late 1890’s, Lambert was influenced by American illustrators such as W. T. Smedley and Charles Dana Gibson. This influence is seen in the pen-and-ink illustrations of ‘The Spirit of the bush fire and other Australian fairy tales’ by J.M. Whitfeld. All were published by Angus & Robertson between 1897 and 1898.

Reference:
Australian Dictionary of Biography Online edition.
http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm
(accessed April, 2008)

No. 1: [The Princess in the basin, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 2: [Oh, how the spirit of the bush fire loved it!, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 3: [Come this way, dear Collaroy, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 4: [I’ve got him, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 5: [It struck him fairly on the head, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 6: [Poor terrors still lay, moaning piteously, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 7: [The stars came down in rain about her, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 8: [Down the rainbow, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 9: [When she saw her boy sitting silent and moody, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 10: [The encounter with the octopus, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 11: [He sat up roaring with pain, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 12: [The wizard and his thumb both flew up in the air, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 13: [They pulled the fairies’ beautiful hair, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 14: [They flew northward in the most amicable fashion, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 15: [I am the king of the mountain frogs, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 16: [She flapped him well, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 17: [Bent nearly double under his heavy load of wood, ca. 1897-1898]



No. 18: [A little trip into the country, sir, may do you good, ca. 1897-1898]
No. 19: [Animals fleeing Spirit, ca. 1897-1898]

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Illustrations 1-17 were drawn by Lambert for ‘The Spirit of the bush fire and other Australian fairy tales’ by J.M. Whitfeld, published by Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1898. ¶No. 18 appeared in ‘The Spirit of the bush fire, Book IV’ by J.M. Whitfeld, published by Edward Lee, Sydney, 1916. ¶¶'George W. Lambert retrospective : heroes & icons' / Anne Gray. ¶George Lambert 1873-1930 catalogue raisonne by Anne Gray, 1996.

No. 19 is unpublished.

Signed either Geo. W. Lambert, Geo. W.L., GWL, or no signature. Undated. Untitled.

Titled from publications by J.M. Whitfeld. See Published Information.

A Brush with the Bush - Dubbo Regional Art Gallery, 3rd April-30th May, 1993 - Dubbo Regional Art Gallery (3 April - 30 May, 1993)
S.H. Ervin Gallery - Apr.-June 1993