painter, theatrical designer, teacher of geometric drawing, had been living and working in Launceston, Tasmania, well before 1851. In that year he showed an oil painting, Lake Como , at the Launceston Bazaar and Exhibition of Pictures 'in aid of the funds for liquidating the debt upon St John-square chapel’, held on 11 March, and was identified as one of three artists 'long resident in this town’ by the Cornwall Chronicle (15 March 1851), the others being James Cook Smith and Frederick Strange . Two undated watercolours of Launceston subjects, River Tamar and The First Basin (TMAG), are signed by Barnes. (These are attributed to Philip Barnes but there is some speculation that they might in fact be the work of W.R. Barnes). The 'Barnes’ who worked with James Cook Smith on Smith’s 'Moving Panorama of London from Old Thames’, advertised as the work of 'colonial artists’ when it was exhibited at Launceston in September 1849 and July 1850 and at Melbourne in November 1850 {acc. Callaway – but 1852 according to Lake and Mulford}, was probably William Rodney Barnes, according to Callaway but is given as Philip by Lake and Mulford, who point out that he was James Cook Smith’s brother-in-law.
Philip Barnes later taught 'Drawing from the Round, Flat, Mechanical and Architectural’ in the Public School and School of Arts at Westbury, Tasmania. He advertised these skills in the Tasmanian in 1877 although he had been living in Westbury well before 1870.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 1989
