John Gilfillan b. 25 December 1793

Also known as John Alexander Gilfillan
  • Artist (Painter)
After a tumultuous childhood running away to sea, being shipwrecked and press ganged for 8 years, Gilfillan studied art and made it his career. He taught and lectured on art in Glasgow before moving to New Zealand and eventually Australia.

Citations

  • Appleyard, R.G. (1968), 'Waterhouse’s Corner 1849-51’, Art Gallery of South Australia Bulletin, 30/2.

  • Frame, E. (1979), 'Gilfillan and the Maori girls’, University of Strathclyde Gazette, Summer.

  • Webb, S. (1970), 'Major New Zealand art find: Two early Gilfillans “The Immigrants’ Departure”, “The Immigrants’ Arrival”’, Arts and Community, 6/8, August.

  • (21 October 1848), Atlas.

  • (1900), Burns Chronicle.

  • Gilfillan, J. (1831), 'Letter to Andrew Henderson’, University of Strathclyde Archives, Glasgow, Scotland.

  • McCrae, G.G. (1903), 'A Victorian worthy – John Alexander Gilfillan R.N. (retired)’, Hocken Library, Dunedin, New Zealand, manuscript.

  • (1996), 'Australian Art: Colonial to Contemporary 1780s-1990s’, Deutscher Fine Art catalogue, August, Melbourne, VIC.

Initial data sources

  • The Dictionary of Australian Artists: painters, sketchers, photographers and engravers to 1870