Curio

State Library of New South Wales

The Bowman Flag, 1806

Oil paint on silk

XR 1


The Bowman Flag is believed to be the first flag designed and made in colonial Australia, and it is also the first known use of the kangaroo and emu as symbols of Australia.  The flag was probably designed by John Bowman and sewn by his wife, Honor, and daughter, Mary, in 1806 to fly at their farm Archerfield near Richmond, NSW. It was created to celebrate the victory of Lord Horatio Nelson and the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.  


The battle was fought in the Atlantic off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar.


The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships the British fleet lost none.


Nelson departed from prevailing naval battle tactics – engaging the enemy fleet in a single line parallel to the enemy – and divided his fleet into two columns directed perpendicularly against the larger enemy fleet. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer during the battle and died shortly after, becoming one of Britain’s greatest war heroes.


According to the Bowman family, the flag was made from Honor Bowman’s wedding dress. It was cut and sewn either by Mary (aged nine at the time), John Bowman's daughter, or by Honor, his wife. Perhaps by both.

It is unlikely that Mary or Honor Bowman painted the image, which appears to be the work of a professional sign painter using oil colours probably sourced from India or China.


Inspiration for the Commonwealth coat of arms

The Commonwealth coat of arms, which bears a striking resemblance to the Bowman flag, was granted in 1908 and was almost certainly influenced by the Trafalgar memorial flag. Interestingly, on the Bowman flag the kangaroo and emu are in reverse position to how they are placed on the coat of arms.

James Woodford, Sydney Morning Herald, 21 October 2005.


Who was John Bowman?

John Bowman (1763–1825) came from East Lothian, Scotland, and was a carpenter experienced in building corn-mills. He came to Australia as a free settler in May 1798 with his Cornish wife Honor, their son George and daughter Mary. He was granted 100 acres at the Hawkesbury and later became an advocate for Governor Bligh during the Rum Rebellion in 1808.


The Bowman flag is one of the first recorded Australian works by a woman.


The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement fought by the Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the Napoleonic Wars. The battle was the most decisive naval victory of the war – confirming British naval supremacy established during the 18th century.