This portrait by Joshua Smith of writer Mary Gilmore (nee Cameron, 1865–1962) is now in the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW along with a study for the work.
Despite his notable 67 Archibald portraits, painted over seven decades, Smith is now mostly remembered as the subject of William Dobell’s contentious 1943 winning work. The fact that this portrait he painted of Gilmore was the runner-up that year is largely unknown.
Dobell and Smith’s friendship was irrevocably damaged by the court case involving the 1943 award that challenged the legitimacy of Dobell’s painting as a portrait (many felt it was closer to caricature). Behind the scenes, Gilmore acted as Smith’s champion.
Gilmore was a passionate campaigner for a wide range of social reforms, including women’s suffrage and emancipation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Australia’s poor. A celebrated public figure and doyenne of Sydney’s literary world, she is featured on Australia’s $10 banknote. There have been 11 portraits of her in the Archibald by eight artists.
Smith himself was dedicated to capturing the intrinsic personality of his sitters; his skill as a draughtsman was honed through lessons with Adelaide Perry at Julian Ashton’s art school, following several years of study at East Sydney Technical College (now the National Art School).