Skip to main content
Menu
What's on Prizes The Portraits Watch
The Gallery Governance & Board Circle of Friends
Learn Access Search the website
close close
What's on The Portraits The Gallery Learn Watch More O

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

More cash than dash

Joanna Gilmour describes how colonial portraitists found the perfect market among social status seeking Sydneysiders.

More information on More cash than dash

Selected images

10 images
hide captions
A woman of New South Wales, c. 1840
A woman of New South Wales, c. 1840
Self portrait, c. 1840
Self portrait, c. 1840
Conrad Martens, c. 1840
Conrad Martens, c. 1840
Thomas Chapman and Master Robert Cooper Tertius, 1840
Thomas Chapman and Master Robert Cooper Tertius, 1840
Elizabeth Bay and Sydney from Mrs Darlings Point Road, c. 1847
Elizabeth Bay and Sydney from Mrs Darlings Point Road, c. 1847
Self portrait, 1834
Self portrait, 1834
Residence of AB Spark, Tempe House, Tempe, 1838
Residence of AB Spark, Tempe House, Tempe, 1838
John Richard Tindale
John Richard Tindale, 1841 Maurice Felton
Mary Tindale
Mary Tindale, 1841 Maurice Felton
Portrait of Mrs Alexander Spark, 1840
Portrait of Mrs Alexander Spark, 1840
10 images
hide captions

Related information

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Elegance in exile

Portrait drawings from colonial Australia

Previous exhibition, 2012

Elegance in exile is an exhibition surveying the work of Richard Read senior, Thomas Bock, Thomas Griffiths Wainewright and Charles Rodius: four artists who, though exiled to Australia as convicts, created many of the most significant and elegant portraits of the colonial period.
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance
The National Portrait Gallery building front entrance

The Gallery

Visit us, learn with us, support us or work with us! Here’s a range of information about planning your visit, our history and more!
The National Portrait Gallery building at night
The National Portrait Gallery building at night
The National Portrait Gallery building at night
The National Portrait Gallery building at night

Support your Portrait Gallery

We depend on your support to keep creating our programs, exhibitions, publications and building the amazing portrait collection!
Home Contact Media Privacy statement User agreement Social media and community guidelines
© National Portrait Gallery 2025
King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency