Children's discovery trail - National Gallery of Australia

DISCOVERY TRAIL

© National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2011
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with NGA Australian Art and NGA travelling
exhibitions and produced by NGA Publishing
in conjunction with
National Collecting Institutions
Touring & Outreach Program
This exhibition is supported by the National
Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach
program, an Australian Government
program aiming to improve access to the
national collections for all Australians;
and by Visions of Australia, an Australian
Government program supporting touring
exhibitions by providing funding assistance
for the development and touring of
Australian cultural material across Australia.
Exhibition Partner
National Gallery of Australia
Council Exhibitions Fund
Media Partner
For tour venues and dates, go to
nga.gov.au/ausportraits
(cover image)
Hugh Ramsay (1877–1906)
Miss Nellie Patterson 1903
painted in Melbourne, Victoria
oil on canvas, 122.3 x 92.2 cm
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1966

DISCOVERY TRAIL
Find each painting and look at the ways
the artists have painted the children

John Brack’s Baby drinking
painted in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1955
Find this picture of a baby.
The artist John Brack based this picture on his daughter
Charlotte.
Can you see the person holding the baby’s cup?
How can you tell the baby is concentrating?

Hugh Ramsay’s Miss Nellie Patterson
painted in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1903
In this portrait, Miss Nellie Patterson is 5 years old.
The artist Hugh Ramsay painted this portrait of Nellie for
her aunt Dame Nellie Melba, who was an opera singer.
Nellie’s dress was a gift from her famous aunt.
Look at all the details in the painting.
Describe what might have happened over the course of
nellies day.

John Perceval’s Boy with cat 2
painted in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1943
In this portrait, John Perceval has painted himself as a boy.
The artist has used the boy and the cat to express his
feelings and memories from childhood.
Look at the way the boy is holding the cat.
Do you think he can let go?

John Brack’s The girls at school
painted in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1959
This is a picture of three girls at primary school.
The artist John Brack depicted three of his daughters.
Look at the girls’ faces and the flowers in their hands.
How has the artist made the girls look different?
What do you think that tells you about them and how they
get along?

E Phillips Fox’s Elsie, daughter of HW Brooks, Esquire
painted in London, England, in 1904
In this portrait, Elsie Brooks is 9 years old.
The artist E Philips Fox depicted Elsie’s rosy skin and the
delicate fabric of her dress.
Look at the brushstrokes and colours of the plants in the
background.
Look at the expression on her face, her pose and her dress.
Compare Elsie to the school girls in John Brack’s painting.

Arthur Boyd’s Mary Boyd
painted at Open Country, in Murrumbeena,
Victoria, in 1937
In this portrait, Mary Boyd is 11 years old.
The artist Arthur Boyd was 17 years old when he painted
this portrait of his sister.
Look at Mary’s pose and expression.
What do you think she is thinking about?

Violet Teague’s The boy with the palette
painted in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1911
In this portrait, Theo Scharf is 12 years old.
The artist Voilet Teague painted this portrait of a serious
boy posed against a plain wall.
Can you see what he is holding?
How can you tell Theo is thinking about becoming an
artist?

Elise Blumann’s Charles, morning on the Swan
painted in Perth, Western Australia, in 1939
In this portrait, the boy is 15 years old.
The artist Elise Blumann painted a portrait of her son
Charles outdoors.
Look at the way the horizon line divides the painting into
two parts.
Can you see how the artist has shown Charles was a
dreamer?

Robert Dowling’s Miss Robertson of Colac (Dolly)
painted in Colac and Melbourne, Victoria, in 1885–86
In this portrait, Dolly was 19 years old.
The artist Robert Dowling painted Dolly’s portrait in a
summer garden.
Look at the way she is dressed and at the things the artist
has included in the painting to tell us about Dolly.
Make up a story about her life.

USE THIS PAGE TO DRAW A PORTRAIT OF YOURSELF OR A FRIEND

Credit lines and copyright
All works in Australian portraits 1880–1960 are from the collection of the
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, except for p.8.
Page 2: © Helen Brack
Page 6: © Estate of John Perceval. Licensed by Viscopy, 2010
Page 8: private collection, on long-term loan to the National Gallery of Australia,
Canberra. © Helen Brack
Page 12: the Arthur Boyd gift, 1975. Reproduced with permission of
Bundanon Trust
Page 14: gift of US Teague, 1976
Page 18: acquired with the assistance of the Masterpieces for the Nation Fund, 2010

For more information on the exhibition and on
tour venues and dates, go to nga.gov.au/ausportraits