Person

Watling, Thomas (1762 - c. 1814)

Born
19 September 1762
Drumfriesshire, Scotland
Died
c. 1814
Occupation
Artist

Summary

Thomas Watling was a convict who was transported to Sydney in 1791 for forgery. His artistic talents were used by the surgeon-general, John White, an ardent naturalist. Most of his surviving work is in the so-called Watling Collection in the zoological library of the British Museum (Natural History); many of the natural history drawings are extensively annotated in John White's hand.

Details

Chronology

1791
Life event - Transported to Australia for forgery
1795
Career position - Probably assigned to the judge-advocate David Collins
1796
Life event - Conditional pardon
1797
Life event - Absolute pardon granted
1801 - 1803
Career position - Miniature painter in Calcutta, India
1803 - c. 1806
Career position - Artist in Scotland

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • Australian Botanists - Biographies, MS 064; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Books

  • Rienits, Rex and Rienits, Thea, Early Artists of Australia (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1963), 246 pp. Details

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • Mathews, Gregory M and Iredale, Tom, 'Thomas Watling, artist', Austral avian record, 5 (1) (1922), 22-31. Details

Resources

Rosanne Walker

EOAS ID: biogs/P002720b.htm

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