Joseph Lycett
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Joseph Lycett (1774 – c.1825) was and English-born artist, active in Australia.
Lycett was a portrait and miniature painter. He was convicted of forgery on 10 August 1811 and transported to Australia, sailing aboard the General Hewitt along with Captain James Wallis (46th Regiment), an amateur artist. While employed in the police office at Sydney he again committed forgery and was sent to Newcastle. There he painted an altar piece tor the church, and on the recommendation of Captain Wallis, the commandant, was given a conditional pardon. He returned to Sydney, was allowed to practise his art, and in 1820 Governor Macquarie sent three of his paintings to Earl Bathurst.
Lycett also visited Tasmania and did some painting there. He appears to have received a pardon, and returned to England about the end of 1822. Between July 1824 and June 1825 he issued Views in Australia, or New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land in 13 parts. These views were reissued in a volume in 1825. The 50 plates are coloured in some copies and plain in others. Nothing more is definitely known about Lycett. A manuscript note in a copy of his Views at the Mitchell Library states that after its publication he lived in the west of England, got into trouble again, and committed suicide. There is a water-colour view of Sydney by him in the William Dixson gallery at the Mitchell library, and a "Panoramic View", 1825, of Hobart, was engraved by G. Scharf.
[edit] References
- Serle, Percival. (1949). "Lycett, Joseph". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- Rex Rienits, 'Lycett, Joseph (1774 - 1825?)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 2, MUP, 1967, pp 140-141.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from
Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.
