• Article |
• Discussion |
• Edit |
• History

William Dexter's 'Still Life' (1850) was painted two years before he emigrated to Australia. Both his name and his work are better-known there than in his home county of Derbyshire

Of the countless artists linked to Derbyshire - whether by birth or association - the majority have had their local connections assiduously recorded. A particularly fine source for such links is John Fineran's Illustrated Who's Who of Artists in Derbyshire (2003), which has an astonishing 700 entries.

Few artists of repute eluded Fineran's widely-cast net, but one who did was William Bull Dexter, perhaps because he achieved his celebrity in Australia, a far cry from his Derbyshire birthplace.

William Bull Dexter (1817-1860) was born in the South Derbyshire town of Melbourne on 11 March 1817. His father - also William Bull Dexter (1788-1850) - worked in the lace trade. His mother was Jane Dexter (1792-1847), formerly Jane Smedley.

William junior was apprenticed at the Derby China Factory, and there learned to paint fruit, flowers and birds in the oriental style of decoration which then characterised much of the Derby China output.

In 1839 at the age of 22 he went to Paris to paint china, and upon his return in the 1840s he styled himself 'Chinese enameller to to Louis Philippe, King of the French'. He decided to base himself mostly in London, but returned periodically to the Midlands, where he met Caroline Harper. The couple married in Nottingham in 1843, but by 1851 they were living in London. To supplement their income they had taken a lodger, the Derby-born artist Edward Price, then apprenticed in the capital.

William's 'artist to the French King' publicity slogan arguably paid dividends, for his work on canvas began to be noticed. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1851, and in the same year his work illustrated a book published by Paul Jarrard of Fleet Street - Birds and Nests from Original Drawings of William Dexter.

He again exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1852, yet despite his increasing success in London, William decided on a fresh start. He boarded the Bank of England bound for Australia, and disembarked in Sydney in October 1852. His wife Caroline at first remained in England, but joined him in January 1855, arriving in Sydney on the Marie Gabrielle.

William did many paintings in Sydney, the majority depicting birds or flowers, but his output embraced a range of subjects. The couple set up a 'Gallery of Arts and School of Design" in the city, but the grand venture soon foundered, and in 1856 they relocated to Gippsland.

Their life together had become increasingly unsettled, perhaps fuelled by Caroline's 'modern' outlook, for she held ardent views of the kind which would later attract the label 'extreme feminist', and became something of a celebrity in her own right.

The couple separated in August 1857 and William returned to Sydney. Three years later he died there on 4 February 1860, aged only 43.

Whilst never a 'famous artist' in the popular sense, Dexter was highly-accomplished. His original works have sold for up to £5,000 at auction, although some of his subjects, particularly those depicting 'dead birds' shot for sport, are no longer fashionable.

Over a century after his death there was a twist in the tale. In the 1980s a box of family papers was given to a museum in Australia - it contained numerous letters dating from the 1850s sent between Dexter and his wife, which graphically documented the couple's stormy relationship and ultimate parting.

The historian Patrick Morgan studied the correspondence in depth, and after further research in England and Australia he wrote a highly-acclaimed book on the couple - Folie a Deux - William and Caroline Dexter in Colonial Australia - published in 1999.

William Bull Dexter may not be Melbourne's most celebrated 'famous son' - that honour goes to the travel pioneer Thomas Cook - but he is certainly a talented one. His place in the gallery of 'Famous Residents' is richly deserved.

FEEDBACK

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not comment on it? Perhaps you disagree with something in it, or you know something the writer doesn't and can add some extra facts. You may want to ask a question about this article. Making a contribution is easy - either click 'edit' to insert more information or 'discussion' and then 'add comment.' This is your site. Please feel free to use it to the full and share your memories, thoughts and knowledge about Derbyshire with others.

If there is no 'edit' link showing it means the article has either previously been published in the Derby Evening Telegraph, or it has been protected by the site administrator and cannot be edited.'

County:  Derbyshire

Return to You_and_Yesterday