painter, carver, gilder and frame-maker, was born in Wiltshire, England, eldest of the six children of Elizabeth and David Culley (1810-82), a carver, gilder, carpenter and frame-maker. The Culleys came to South Australia aboard the Macedon in 1849 and settled in Adelaide. There David Culley established a successful business in his various trades, his reputation being made in 1854 when he was paid £50 for the carved and gilded frame around J.M. Crossland 's portrait of J.H. Fisher, an unprecedented sum for colonial work. John Culley worked for him.
On 29 March 1853 John married Adelaide Robinson; they had two sons and three daughters, including Admella Eliza (who must have been born about August 1859 when the disastrous shipwreck of the Admella occurred). John seems to have worked professionally as a painter as well as carver, selling and exhibiting his paintings and drawings in his father’s shop. He was particularly fond of architectural subjects. Of his five works shown at the South Australian Society of Arts first exhibition in 1857, three depicted local buildings – St Peter’s, Marlborough , Post Office, Adelaide and Minal Church – the others being Slaughter of the Innocents and Head . At the 4th exhibition held (belatedly) in April May 1861, J.R. Culley showed Diomed (cat 80), Milden Hall Church (cat.122) and another Head (cat.71), all lent by 'Mr. Culley’, probably his father. He won a prize at the society’s 1866 exhibition for Christ Church, North Adelaide , but the picture was not universally acclaimed. The South Australian Advertiser commented that it looked 'as if he thought he had made a mistake (as well he might think) and had tried to rub the whole affair out’.
Culley died in Adelaide on 29 August 1870 and was buried in West Terrace Cemetery.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 1989
