Painter and illustrator, Sydney. Cantle’s essential lifetime work consists of several hundred watercolour and gouache paintings of birds. Made with great attention to detail, including date, place and size, they are scrupulously annotated. Cantle also worked in conjuction with the Australian Museum, Sydney, and some of his works are of museum specimens (including a few non-Australian birds) Most were sketched in the wild in the Sydney area, but also throughout eastern NSW. Many were done when he was a railway surveyor. Also known for his series of ornithological subjects (Australian birds) postcards, including comic ones. A watercolour (possibly gouache) painting of birds bathing is held in a private collection and is presumably an original for one of his postcards. Exhibited RAS 1883.
A single catalogued collection of 228 Cantle bird paintings is held in a private Melbourne collection. The works date from 1887 to 1918, but the majority were completed between 1887 and 1895.
Other paintings belong to descendants.
Third annual exhibition of the Art Society of NSW 1883: 'J.M. Cantle sends five pictures, in which the colouring is very crude. 194 [or 191?] “Hard Pressed” shows promise for the drawing is correct and distance good, and the story easily intelligble’ ( Sydney Morning Herald , 21 March 1883, p.11).
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- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2012
