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C1854
Sydney Elections. – The Hustings, Macquarie Place.
Artist:
Walter George Mason (1820 - 1866)
Very rare early engraving from the original edition of the Illustrated Sydney News. The engraving depicts the hustings in Macquarie Place for the by-election in 1854 that resulted in the election of Parkes and anticipated the triumph of ‘the bunch’ … Read Full Description
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Full Title:
Sydney Elections. – The Hustings, Macquarie Place.
Date:
C1854
Artist:
Walter George Mason (1820 - 1866)
Condition:
A little smudging and remants of pencil notaions lower left otherwise in good condition.
Technique:
Hand coloured engraving.
Image Size:
220mm
x 170mm
AUTHENTICITY
Genuine antique
dated:
1854
Description:
Very rare early engraving from the original edition of the Illustrated Sydney News.
The engraving depicts the hustings in Macquarie Place for the by-election in 1854 that resulted in the election of Parkes and anticipated the triumph of ‘the bunch’ in 1856. Painter and wood engraver. Known as an expert wood engraver He worked for the Illustrated London News & Pictorial Times. Arrived in Sydney in 1852. He soon became one of the original owners of the Illustrated Sydney News contributing most of the illustrations. His contribution to the art of engraving in the colony was enormously influential. He died in reduced circumanstances.
Artist:
Walter George Mason (1820-1866)
Mason was born in London, the second son of Abraham John Mason, a well-known wood engraver and lecturer. Walter’s father began teaching him the art of wood-engraving when the family lived in New York in the 1830’s. Walter was sent back to London to train under Mr G. Bonner before 1839. In England, Walter Mason became very well known as a wood engraver and worked with The Illustrated London News, Punch, Pictorial Times, The Art Journal, and other periodicals.
Walter’s brothers, George and Charles, had immigrated to Australia in about 1850 and worked in Sydney as wood engravers.It seems likely that they encouraged Walter to join them. In 1852 Walter and his family left England for Australia, arriving in Sydney via the Windsor on 4 November 1852. Soon after his arrival in Sydney, Mason became involved in the founding of The Illustrated Sydney News. Despite a small permanent staff and the fact that 4000 copies of the first issue were sold at sixpence a copy, the paper had financial problems from the beginning. Over a few months in 1854, five of the original proprietors left the partnership and Walter Mason became printer and publisher.
Despite engraving illustrations for a large number of newspapers, books and magazines, Walter was in financial difficulties for most of his time in Sydney.
