Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1840 (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
Oil on canvas, approx. 2x1.5m. Gilt wooden frame.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Griffith was born in England. He taught at the King’s School in Parramatta and then set up his own portrait studio at the Australian Arms Inn. He also created portraits of Richard and Elizabeth Rouse and the Supreme Court judge Sir William Westbrook Burton, as well as several landscapes. His business declined when daguerreotype portraits became popular, and many of his works were destroyed in a fire in 1854.
Archival history
The portrait was most likely hung in the St James property owned by the Trustees of Thomas Moore's estate, and transferred to the College's Newtown campus in 1891. The portrait was hung in the Dining Room at Moore College, then transferred to the Chapter House of St Andrew's Cathedral in 1961. In 1998, it was loaned to the Southland Museum & Gallery Invercargill, NZ, and returned in 2005. It was stored and fully conserved in 2017. A facsimile of part of the painting hangs in the foyer of 1 King St.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Portrait of Thomas Moore, with books and nautical instruments on a table. A portrait of Rachel Moore and the outline of St Luke's Liverpool are also included.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
The painting and frame are stored in sealed conservation-grade wooden crates. These must only be re-opened by a qualified conservator.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
This artwork has been digitised and made available on the Ark Repository: https://moorecollege.access.preservica.com/SO_09d8d1e7-322c-4a41-ad96-a71fcfa529b8/
The portrait of Rachel Moore has been digitally reconstructed: https://moorecollege.access.preservica.com/SO_c5774cdb-3503-4602-bb1e-592303fd4ccf/