painter, was born in Scotland, eldest daughter of John Bowman, a Scottish carpenter, and Honor, née Honey, from Cornwall. She came to New South Wales with her parents and brother George in the Bardwell , arriving in May 1798. The family settled on a 100-acre land grant on the Hawkesbury River. A silk flag painted with a shield flanked by an emu and kangaroo, plus entwined rose, shamrock and thistle motifs is attributed to Mary. It was made in 1806 to celebrate Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar. (The event took place on 21 October 1805, but it was not reported in the Sydney Gazette until 10 April 1806.) 'Unity’ is inscribed in the upper scroll and Nelson’s famous command, 'England Expects Every Man Will Do His Duty’, appears in the lower. Reputedly made from her mother’s wedding dress, the flag was flown at the Bowman property, Archerfield, near Richmond. It is considered to be the first time native fauna was used in a colonial coat of arms, and it is one of the first recorded Australian art works by a woman. The Bowman flag is now in the Mitchell Library.
At Richmond on 29 August 1818 Mary Bowman became the second wife of James Chisolm. They lived in Calder House, Sydney, and had four sons and three daughters. Mary died on 1 May 1878.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1995
- Last updated:
- 2011
