sketcher and novelist, was born in Northamptonshire, England, on 2 January 1830, sixth son of Rev. Charles Kingsley and Mary, née Lucas. A member of a cultured, well-connected family, it is likely that he was given drawing lessons in youth. Arriving at Melbourne in the Gauntlet in 1853, Kingsley tried gold-mining at Mount Alexander, Ararat and Omeo with limited success. He then travelled around the country on horseback. Nine watercolours of Australian subjects by Kingsley (Mitchell Library), mainly of mountain scenery, were nearly all painted when he was travelling alone through the Monaro, New South Wales, and Gippsland, Victoria, districts in 1855-56. Sketchy but competent, they display some understanding of composition and colouring.
All have lengthy inscriptions of a personal character and were obviously intended to be sent home. They include, for instance, 'Emu Creek in the Portland Bay District. Self on beloved thoroughbred Mazzaroni. Wedge-tailed Eagle following me, and lighting on tree after tree’, and 'an undiscovered gold gully … I cannot describe good and unmistakable wash dirt, any more than you can describe to me the difference between Beaune and Chateau Margot [sic]. But you can tell it as a rule the instant you have it in your hand …’.
Other views are of the mountains around Buninyong, near Langi Willi Station where Kingsley lived for several months in 1857 while writing The Recollections of Geoffrey Hamlyn . The novel was published in London in 1858 shortly after his return. 16 more novels followed before Kingsley died at the age of 46.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
