John Allen

  • Artist (Draughtsman)
Colonial Tasmanian sketcher and settler. Allen apparently took an early crude sketch of local Aborigines back to England where he had it turned into an oil painting by a professional painter. The painting is now held in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
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Name
John Allen
Gender
Male
Roles
  • Artist (Draughtsman)
Other Occupation
  • settler
Active Period
  • c.1828
Residence
  • c.1828 Milton Farm, District of Great Swanport, Van Diemens Land [Tasmania]
Languages
  • English
Initial Record Data Source
  • Legacy data. Source 'unknown'

Difference between this version and previous

Field Changes
Biography <p></p> <p></p> <p>sketcher (?) and settler, possibly did a extremely crude pencil drawing now in the SLNSW (DL PE 279: Recq 194), which is captioned in ink, <i>_The Aborigions [sic] of Van Demonsland [sic] endeavouring to kill Mr. John Allen on Milton Farm in the District of Great Swanport on the 14th of December 1828</i>_ . It shows a tiny settler holding a gun outside his cottage on a fruit and grain farm being ambushed by a circle of over-large Aboriginal men armed with spears. A Tasmanian dealer had another drawing by Allen for sale some years ago, probably the pencil sketch attributed to E.L. Cotton, <i>_Drawn at Swansea Town in 1828…to record the events as dictated by John Allen/ after successfully holding off an attack by 18 [sic] natives for a whole day, with a brace of/ pistols, on his grant of land which he named "Milton"</i>_ , that was offered at Sotheby's 'Australia 2000' auction on 16 August 2000 (lot 322). Despite the caption, it too seems to have only 13 natives in it, one apparently dead.</p> <p>

Family tradition states that Allen took his drawing to England and had it turned into an oil painting by a professional artist. What is apparently the final result (TMAG) is a highly fanciful small oil painting with a new composition containing a very large backwoodsman, Allen, in a verdant South Sea setting with palm trees. The number of Aborigines remains the same - thirteen, one prone - while the hut is clearly inspired by the drawing, though with a thatched rather than brick chimney (!). </p>