Samuel Thomas Gill

Artist Samuel Thomas Gill immigrated to South Australia in 1839. A year later he had opened his own studio in Adelaide. He produced lithographs which captured urban scenes and notable people of Adelaide. In 1852 he travelled to the Victorian goldfields. He created many drawings depicting life on the goldfields and became known as the artist of the goldfields.

Gill’s depictions of the miners evoke dry digger humour and illustrate the lively entertainments on the goldfields, the hated commissioners, the naivety of freshly arrived ‘new chums’ and the despondent many who did not strike it rich.