S. T. Gill

Samuel Thomas Gill (21 May 1818 – 27 October 1880), also known by his signature S.T.G., was an English-born Australian artist.

Early life Gill was born in Periton, Minehead, Somerset, England, in 1818. He was the son of the Reverend Samuel Gill, a Baptist minister, and his first wife, Winifred Oke. Rev. Gill became the headmaster of a school in Plymouth, where the son was first educated, then he continued to Dr Seabrook's Academy, Plymouth. Having moved to London, Gill appears to have exhibited his watercolours and worked as a draftsman at the Hubbard Public Gallery in London.

Australia

On 17 December 1839 Samuel Thomas Gill (or S.T. Gill) and his family arrived in Adelaide aboard the Caroline. His father Samuel Gill (snr.) settled at the Coromandel Valley where he became the postmaster and opened a "Classical and Mathematical Preparatory School" for boys under twelve. His son S. T. Gill opened rooms at Gawler Place, Adelaide where he advertised portrait work and local scenery, "executed to order".

His activities soon expanded to include street scenes and public events, including the newly discovered copper mines at Burra Burra and the departure of Charles Sturt's expedition for the interior on 8 October 1844. His sketching tours of the districts surrounding Adelaide, produced a number of watercolours.

Gill took an interest in photography – ordering a daguerreotype camera and the other necessary equipment in 1846, and setting up as a professional photographer. With public interest in the new medium not forthcoming, Gill sold his camera to Robert Hall prior to his departure with John Horrocks' expedition northwards to the Flinders Ranges later in 1846. While on this expedition he made the first sketch of these ranges.

Upon his return Gill organised an exhibition to sell the watercolours and pencil sketches of this fateful trip but sales appear to have been slow and he was eventually forced to raffle them. References