Matthew Flinders miniature

Watercolour and a lock of hair, 1801

My Love Must Wait

This portrait with its lock of hair was retained by Ann Flinders, Matthew Flinders’ wife, when her husband left England on his voyage of circumnavigation of Australia in July 1801. When she next saw him, in 1810, his hair was grey. It is one of only two contemporary portraits of Matthew Flinders. Both have been damaged, obscuring some original features. This miniature, for example, does not show the scar on his forehead above his left eye, which he obtained at school when another pupil threw a slate at him.

 Despite a life of high professional achievement, Flinders was denied the fame which he had pursued with such determination. He died painfully and protractedly, at only forty, one day after the publication of his charts and the accompanying story of his voyage. The map of Australia, though, remains his memorial. No other national map is so intimately bound up with the life of one individual.
Display item Matthew Flinders miniature

 

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