John William Tristram b. 7 October 1870

  • Artist (Painter)
Self-taught English-born painter who arrived in Sydney as a child in 1883. He was a resident of Mosman for most of his life and was known for his landscapes and coastal scenes in watercolour which are in the collection of several Australian public galleries.
Tags: Watercolour, Landscape
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John William Tristram was born on 7 October 1870 at Gillingham, Kent, England. He was the oldest of eight children born to Samuel Herbert Tristram and his wife Hannah (nee Thompson). He arrived in Sydney with his parents and siblings on 21 December 1883.

As an artist, he was completely self-taught and took up serious drawing and painting soon after his arrival in Australia. His artistic talent helped to secure his first job and by April 1885 he was employed in the Civil Service of New South Wales as a junior draftsman in the Architect’s Branch of the Department of Public Instruction (which became the Department of Education in 1915). He pursued this career until his retirement in 1930.

By the early 1890s Tristram was living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. On 14 October 1891 he married Maude Face in Woollahra and for the next few years he lived and painted there and in Double Bay.

In 1899 he and his family moved north of Sydney Harbour to the leafy suburb of Mosman which, from its earliest days, had strong connections with the creative arts in Sydney.

Tristram painted in watercolour and his style was soft and delicate. His approach to art was primarily aesthetic, with the objective of balancing elegance and harmony in the colours of a painting. Much of his work employed muted colour and was suggestive rather than realistic. His coastal scenes and rural landscapes were generally soft-edged and appeared as if viewed through coloured, misty veils. There was a sometimes mysterious, sometimes melancholic character to his paintings. His works can be found in the collections of many Australian public galleries including: National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and Queensland Art Gallery.

Aside from his painting, Tristram was known as a contributor of poetry to publications such as The Bulletin and The Lone Hand. He was also known to be a gifted musician.

J. W. Tristram died at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on 19 August 1938 from liver disease. He was survived by his wife, Maude; sons, Ashwin & John (Jack); and daughters, Norah (Biddy) & Molly.

Writers:
Staff Writer
Stephen Robertson Marshall
Date written:
1999
Last updated:
2023