Australia’s first set of pictorial postage stamps (released in 1899) includes some of artist Haughton Forrest’s paintings of Hobart and Kunanyi / Mount Wellington.
You can’t really tell by looking at the stamps, but Forrest’s work is so highly detailed and precise that it looks incredibly realistic; however, this style was not popular during his lifetime, so his estate was quite modest at the time of his death.
Early Life & Career
Haughton Forrest was born in France on Saturday, 30 December 1826*, and was educated in Jamaica and the German state of Hesse.
He joined the Honourable Artillery Company of London in 1852, at the age of 26, and later served in the 31st Royal Monmouth Light Infantry. Forrest probably didn’t see himself as a career military man, because he resigned from the army shortly after being promoted to the rank of captain, and took up a ‘safe’ job with the British postal service.
Marriage & Early Career as an Artist
In 1858, Forrest married a woman named Henrietta Bunce in Plymouth, and they went on to have five children. One of them sadly died in infancy.
Soon after the wedding, Forrest took up painting. There’s no evidence to indicate he studied to become an artist, so he probably taught himself. A few of his early paintings were allegedly commissioned by King Edward VII, who was Prince of Wales at the time.**
Move to Tasmania & Becoming a Full-time Artist
In 1876, Forrest and his family moved from Britain to a block of land on the Ringarroma River in north-east Tasmania.*** They later relocated to Sorell, where Forrest took up several roles in the municipality, including superintendent of police. He resigned these positions in 1881, and the family took up residence in Hobart.
It was in Hobart that Forrest became a full-time artist. He spent the rest of his life (some 70 years) painting marine subjects and local landscapes.
Death & Legacy
Forrest passed away on Tuesday, 20 January 1925, aged 99 – which wasn’t a bad innings for back then!
A lot of his paintings can be found in art galleries in Tasmania and around Australia.
* His father, Thomas, was an equerry to Queen Victoria. (An equerry is a personal assistant or officer who helps a member of royalty or a high-ranking official with their duties.)
** Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom between 1901 and 1910.
*** Forrest had accepted a land grant in Brazil the previous year, but promptly moved back to Britain after finding that it was unsuitable.
Callum J. Jones studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania. He has written fiction and non-fiction for Tasmanian Times since 2018, and can be traced by the smell of fresh coffee.
Follow him on Twitter (@Callum_Jones_10) and Facebook (@callum.j.jones.creative).
