Person
Lycett, Joseph (c. 1774 - 1828)
- Born
- c. 1774
Staffordshire, United Kingdom - Died
- 9 February 1828
Birmingham, United Kingdom - Occupation
- Artist
Summary
Joseph Lycett was a portrait and miniature printer who was transported to New South Wales for forging banknotes, arriving in February 1814. His early years in the colony were spent in Sydney and Newcastle where he practiced his art. Lycett became known for his topographical views of towns and the dramatic landscapes of New South Wales. He is particularly noted for his paintings of the Indigenous people, some of the earliest such portraits. In September 1822 he returned to England and published his Views in Australia or, New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. Lycett seems not to have given up his taste for forging, either in the colony or on return to England. Many of his original works are held by the Mitchell and Dixson Libraries in Sydney, the National Library of Australia (Canberra) and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery(Hobart).
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Details
Chronology
- February 1814
- Life event - Arrived in Australia
- 28 November 1821
- Life event - Received an absolute pardon
- September 1822
- Life event - Returned to England
Published resources
Books
- Lycett, J., Views in Australia or, New South Wales & Van Diemen's Land delineated, in fifty views, with descriptive letter press (London: J. Souter, 1824[-5]), 15 pp. Details
- Maynard, John, True light and shade: an Aboriginal perspective of Joseph Lycett's art (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 2014), 168 pp. Details
- Turner, John, Joseph Lycett: Governor Macquarie's convict artist (Newcastle, N.S.W.: Hunter History Publications, 1997), 148 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Rienits, Rex, 'Lycett, Joseph (1774-1828), convict and artist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 2: 1788 - 1850 I-Z, Shaw, A. G. l. and Clark, C. M. H., eds (Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1967), pp. 140-1, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lycett-joseph-2382. Details
Edited Books
- McPhee, John ed. ed., Joseph Lycett: convict artist (Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, 2006), 285 pp. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 23 June 2026