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Details
- Date
- 1888
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 91.3 x 71.4 cm stretcher; 116.7 x 96.5 x 6.5 frame
- Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r. corner, red oil "F. Fuller./ 1888_".
- Credit
- Wendy Barron Bequest Fund 2015
- Location
- South Building, ground level, Grand Courts
- Accession number
- 191.2015
- Copyright
- Artist information
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Florence Fuller
Works in the collection
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About
'Weary' was first exhibited at Florence Fuller's studio around 1888, alongside the work 'Desolate', the latter of which is only known from press descriptions. Both works, portraying subjects of child poverty, immediately sold. 'Weary' depicts a homeless child with background imagery of Melbourne's docklands, providing a powerful statement on the disadvantaged within the context of the city's booming commerce. While subjects of the urban poor were popular in the art of Victorian England, 'Weary' is unusual in Australian art from this period for its stark portrayal of Melbourne's street life and for its politicised message of social injustice. The work is also unique amongst the extant works of Fuller's own practice.
While the influence of Fuller's early painting instructor George Follingsby has been noted in relation to the narrative subject of 'Weary', the painting is more so telling of Fuller's distinct artistic vision in Melbourne art at this time. Striking is her inclusion of the tattered billboards, whose fragmented lettering renders their marketing messages alienating and incoherent. They imbue the painting with a sense of urban realism that is arguably unprecedented in Australian art. While the child may appear more cherub-like than destitute, Fuller draws on the figure of innocence to create a moving juxtaposition of the child against the dehumanising forces of the modern market place.
Fuller found inspiration for this painting in the poem 'Weariness' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that ruminates on the impact of child labour. Fuller reproduced the opening lines of the poem: "O, little feet that such long years/ must wander on through hopes and fears"; on a plaque on the frame. The poeticised sentiments were significant in delivering the pathos of the work in its day.
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Exhibition history
Shown in 6 exhibitions
Exhibition of works of Victorian artists, and a loan collection of pictures, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Melbourne, 20 Dec 1890 -
Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg Era, Heide Park and Art Gallery, Melbourne, 03 Mar 1992–26 Apr 1992
Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg Era, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, 15 May 1992–28 Jun 1992
Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg Era, Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum, Castlemaine, 13 Jul 1992–16 Aug 1992
Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg Era, Benalla Art Gallery, Australia, 28 Aug 1992–27 Sep 1992
Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg Era, S.H. Ervin Gallery, The Rocks, 02 Oct 1992–25 Oct 1992
Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg Era, Carrick Hill, Australia, 05 Nov 1992–06 Dec 1992
Through Women's Eyes: An exhibition of works by eight prominent women artists who attended PLC Melbourne between 1880 and 1946 and who made a significant contribution to the development of art in Australia, Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Caulfield, 14 Feb 2001–18 Mar 2001
Sotheby's Australia important Australian art, Sotheby's Australia, Melbourne, 15 Apr 2015–19 Apr 2015
Sotheby's Australia important Australian art, Sotheby's Gallery Sydney, Woollahra, 23 Apr 2015–28 Apr 2015
Grand Courts collection rehang, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Nov 2021–2023
Private view, ,
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Bibliography
Referenced in 5 publications
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Maurice Brodzky (Editor), Table talk, Miss Florence Fuller, Melbourne, 06 Mar 1891, 5. Mention of various works including 'Weary', with a note that it was sold to Mr Hamilton Ker of Melbourne
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H W Fletcher (Editor), Fitzroy City Press, Chance chatter, Fitzroy, 09 Jan 1891, 2. Mention of 'Weary' among other works
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Victoria Hammond and Juliette Peers, Completing the Picture: Women artists and the Heidelberg era, Hawthorn East, 1992, 44, 45 (colour illus.).
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M Hirst Browne, The illustrated Sydney news, Some Australian women: Part III, Four Australian artists, Sydney, 09 May 1891, 10 (black and white image of Fuller), 11. In-depth article and notes that "two pictures...'Weary' and 'Desolate' were sold in her studio and sent to their destination without being exhibited".
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Sotheby's Australia important Australian art, Apr 2015, inside front cover (colour illus.), 128, 129 (colour illus.)130, 131. Auction catalogue
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