# John Mather (artist)

John Mather (1848 – 18 February 1916) was a Scottish-Australian plein-air painter and etcher.

## Early life

Mather was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, son of John Mather, a surveyor, and his wife Margaret, née Allan.
John Mather spent his youth sketching and painting. He had access to the art collection of the Duke of Hamilton and knew all the works. His first art lessons, when about 15 years old, were with Thomas Fairbairn (1820-1884), an art teacher and prominent local water colourist who moved to Hamilton about 1850, possibly to be near the oak tree forest of Cadzow.
John Mather studied at the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts and he exhibited his first work there around 1871. From Glasgow, John Mather went to Edinburgh, where he studied at the school of the National Gallery. In Edinburgh he painted the older parts of the city, and these paintings sold quickly.
In 1873 – 74, John Mather went to Paris and remarked:
I saw the miles of pictures that are to be seen in Paris, and studied them as well as I could.
After Paris he went to London, worked and painted as he had done in Edinburgh. Subsequently, he went back to Scotland and continued at his art.

## Arrival and establishment in Melbourne

Emigrating to Melbourne in 1878, John Mather listed his occupation as painter. On the 3rd December 1878, John Mather was elected as an Associate of the Victorian Academy of Arts. In April 1879 he exhibited 14 works at the Annual Exhibition of the Victorian Academy of Arts and was noted as a large exhibiter.
In 1879 he was described as a young artist under engagement to Messrs. Gillow and Co., the firm entrusted with the decoration of Mandeville Hall at Toorak, now known as Loreto Mandeville Hall. On the 19th December 1879, John Mather's tender of £4700 for the internal decorations of the Exhibition Buildings was accepted by the Building Committee of the International Exhibition.
On the 27th October 1881 he was elected to the Council of the Victorian Academy of Arts. In April 1882 he exhibited a number of oil paintings and water colours at the annual exhibition of the Academy. Noted for his industriousness:
There are no less than 11 works bearing his name. Most of them are of rural or woodland scenery, rendered with much artistic feeling, whether in oil or water-colour.
He was married on the 16th October 1882 to Miss Jessie Pines Best, a daughter of Captain James Best, a pilot of Hobson's Bay. Together they had one daughter and three sons; Margaret Playfair, John Allan, Louis Melville (died in infancy), and Leslie Frank Strand (died in 1919).

## John Mather's 'Plein Air' Work

John Mather was one of the early practitioners of painting en plein air in Victoria.
Contemporary reports noted that since his arrival in Melbourne ... Mr Mather has been travelling all through Victoria in the employment of his brush and pencil and has given to the public so many examples of his skill in depicting the most picturesque localities ... he ... especially gave great attention to the scenery of the Ovens and Murray District and the scenery about the source of the Yarra.
When completing a painting of Mt Feathertop, he undertook a daily walk of 12 miles for a fortnight to complete the work ... leaving the picture on the spot where he was painting it, and frequently returning to find it so buried in snow that he had to actually dig it out ...
Early in 1885 John Mather painted near Sunbury, Riddell's Creek and Healesville. In March 1885 he exhibited the oil and water colour landscapes from those painting excursions in his studio.
Later that year in autumn, he made two trips to the Upper Yarra valley. At the time the region was described as an artist’s paradise with richly varied and delightfully picturesque scenery. In April 1885, he displayed the results of his first trip to the Upper Yarra valley in his studio at 95 Collins Street East.
In 1885 John Mather was also amongst the artists marching along the road to Heidelberg, the first organised effort in Melbourne to form a group for landscape painting. The artists included Arthur Streeton, Walter Withers, John Longstaff, Fredrick McCubbin, E. Phillips Fox, Louis Abrahams, Jane Sutherland, Tudor St George Tucker, J. Llewellyn Jones, Tom Humphries, and Fredrick Williams.
These trips predated the artist's camps of Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Walter Withers, Fredrick McCubbin, Charles Condor and others at Box Hill, Mentone, Heidelberg and elsewhere. Later some of the artist's camps would become increasingly popular places to visit, John Mather is noted as addressing a large gathering of eighty artists, students and their friends at Eaglemont.
His affinity with en plein air is revealed when discussing a broad range of his favorite paintings in the National Gallery of Victoria. Commenting on Peter Graham's Autumnal Showers he states; he was in intimate converse with nature, when every new effect was an unspeakable joy, a new delight and a fresh discovery...[the work] ... must have been a labour of love.
In 1906 he considered Boulevard Montmartre by Pissarro to be the best painting purchased through the Felton Bequest, both for its artistic rendering of a very difficult subject, and for its remarkable truth to nature. He described it as a splendid example of the French School of Impressionist at its best. He hoped the work would encourage artists and citizens in Melbourne to see the beauty of their own streets and goes on to state:
The subject itself is not finer than many of our Melbourne streets; it only requires the artist; the life, movement, and interest are just as intense here as in Paris. The summer is longer here; the sunlight is brighter; the sky more blue, but the patron is conspicuous by his absence.
In subsequent decades Australian Impressionism would be recognised and celebrated.

## A Glimpse of Melbourne's Art Scene in the mid 1880's

In 1885; returning to Melbourne after an absence of four years, Roberts found Mather, John Ford Paterson, McCubbin and Streeton all hard at work. That same year, Mr. J.T. Buxton erected a new art premises, Buxton's Art Gallery in Swanston Street, opposite the Melbourne Town Hall.
In June 1886 a meeting was held at the Buxton's Art Gallery where it was unanimously resolved that an exhibition be held annually in central Melbourne to be called the Winter Exhibition of Works by Australian Artists. John Mather was amongst those present, as well as: Mr. Addison, Mr. G. R. Ashton, Mr.Percival Ball, Signor Catani, Mr. J.W.Curtis, Mr. McCubbin, Mr. Gibbs, Signor Habres, Mr. Kahler, Signor Tocein, Signor Neele, Mr. Patterson, Mr. Rolando, Mr. T. Roberts and Mr. Turner.
The first annual exhibition of the Australian Artists' Association was opened 8 Sept 1886 in Buxton's Art Gallery. Contemporary reports highlight the following artists, including John Mather; J. F. Paterson, Herr Kabler, Julian Ashton, S. R. Ashton, C. Rolando, F. McCubbin, A. Loureiro, Alice Chapman, T. Roberts, J. G. Gibbs, L. Buvelot, Vauder, Ley, and C. W. Foster.
At the time it was observed:
that a distinctively Australian school of landscape painters is being formed, who look at colonial scenery with their own eyes, and not through European spectacles; and although they are perhaps a little too much under the influence of the French impressionists, of whose works a good many examples have reached us, they certainly aim at a faithful and vivid, if free and sketchy, reproduction of local form and colour.
About 85 oil paintings and watercolours were exhibited. Some of the artists work, including that of John Mather, were commented upon:
It is interesting to watch the general leaning of our young artists and art students towards the French methods of landscape painting; their avoidance of too much definition of form, and their disposition to secure striking effects by colour laid on in broad masses. This is observable in Mr. Mather's bit of genuine nature, "On the Watts River;"... Turning to the water-colour drawings, the eye is arrested by Mr. Mather's "Cape Wollamai, Phillip Island," and his "View on the Saltwater River," which are almost as solid in colour and as full of strength as oil paintings. The first is a very striking picture, and perfectly true to nature. The second resembles a drawing in black and white, as there is only here and there a slight suggestion of colour. In both compositions the masterly treatment of clouds and water is too obvious to be overlooked.
After the first exhibition, the Australian Artist's Association was formalised. In October 1886 the rules of the Association were developed and an Executive Committee elected consisting of Patterson, Ashton, Mather, Ball, Gow, Loureiro and Catani. Later Roberts and McCubbin were added to the committee.
The Association went on to hold two more exhibitions in the summer and winter of 1887. The 1887 Exhibition Selection Committee comprised Roberts, Mather and Patterson with a sculptor and architect to be nominated. The Hanging Committee comprised Ball, Mather, Patterson and Ashton.
The Australian Artist's Association exhibitions of 1886 and 1887 included works such as McCubbin's Lost 1886, Robert's The Sunny South (painting), Streeton's June Evening Box Hill as well as works by Withers, Patterson and other artists including John Mather.
When opening the first exhibition, Mr. James Smith, on behalf of the Australian Artists exhibiting stated that the association had not been formed in any spirit of opposition or rivalry with the older academy and that there was room for both. Ultimately this was to prove not be the case.
The Australian Artist's Association membership grew to over 160 members. John Mather was also a member of the Victorian Academy of Arts and worked towards bringing the two organisations together. On John Mather's motion, the amalgamated organisation was named the Victorian Artist's Society and formed in 1888.

## Career

In 1878, John Mather joined the Victorian Academy of Arts and in 1881 he was elected to its Council. During this time Mather was also responsible for the decoration of the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne.
Later he joined the bohemian Buonarotti Club, camping with other members on plein-air painting expeditions, and served, with Frederick McCubbin, Louis Abrahams, Jane Sutherland, and Tom Roberts on the club's exhibition selection committee. As a painter, Mather was also involved in the bohemian Artists' Camps of Sydney.
In 1886, together with other professional artists, he was a founding member of the Australian Artists' Association, serving on the Executive Committee, as well its Exhibition Selection and Hanging Committees. The amalgamation of the Australian Artists' Association and Victorian Academy of Arts in 1888 subsequently established the Victorian Artists' Society, and he served as its president for twelve years in 1893–1900, 1906–1908 and 1911.
In 1892 he was appointed to the board of trustees of the Public Library, Museums and National Gallery of Victoria. Mather was a member of the Felton Bequest Committee from 1905 to 1916 and as trustee, strongly supported Australian art.
In 1912 along with Frederick McCubbin, Max Meldrum, Walter Withers Mather formed the breakaway Australian Art Association.
Three of Mather's own paintings, Autumn in the Fitzroy Gardens in oils, and Morning, Lake Omeo and Wintry Weather, Yarra Glen, both watercolours, were purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria.

## Exhibition History

Throughout his career John Mather exhibited his works in Victoria as well other Australian states and overseas.
In Victoria he exhibited in:
* The Victorian Academy of Arts Annual Exhibitions from 1879 to 1887.
* The Victorian Academy of Arts Black and White Exhibitions of 1882 and 1883.
* Ballarat Fine Art Exhibition 1884.
* The Australian Artists Association Exhibitions of 1886 and the Summer and Winter Exhibitions of 1887.
* The Victorian Society of Artists Exhibitions of Spring 1888, Autumn 1888 and 1900, and Winter 1889, 1895, 1904, 1905 and 1909.
* The Victorian Society of Artists Exhibitions of Water Colour and Black and White Drawings 1890.
* The Victorian Society of Artists Annual Exhibitions from 1890 to 1911, (other than in 1902 and 1903).
* The Australian Art Association exhibitions from 1913 to 1916.
In the other Australian states, he exhibited in the:
* Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales from 1883 to 1888 as well as in 1892, 1893, 1895, 1899, and 1900.
* Exhibition of John Mather’s Water Colours, 1911 Trowbridge Bros, Elizabeth Street, Hobart.
* South Australian Society of Arts, September 1913 Mr. J. Mathers Exhibition of paintings and etchings.
Some of his works were part of a New South Wales provincial exhibition of a Loan Collection of Pictures by the National Art Gallery and Art Association of New South Wales exhibited in:
* 1895 at the Bathurst Technological Museum.
* 1896 at the Goulburn Technological Museum.
* 1897 at the Newcastle Technological Museum.
His works were exhibited in colonial and international exhibitions held in Victoria including the:
* 1888 Melbourne Centennial Exhibition at the Melbourne Exhibition Building Picture Galleries.
* 1890 Exhibition of Works of Victorian Artists and a Loan Collection of Pictures at the Art Gallery of the Exhibition Building.
* 1901 Victorian Gold Jubilee Exhibition, Bendigo.
His works were exhibited internationally in:
* 1883-1884 Calcutta International Exhibition which included A Morning Walk by the Yarra now in the collection of the Ballarat Art Gallery.
* 1886 at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition London.
* 1898 at the Grafton Galleries Exhibition of Australian Art in London.
* 1899 at the Earls Court, London Greater Britain Exhibition.
As well as exhibitions at his studios, he held larger solo exhibitions including his:
* 1904 Exhibition of Australian Landscapes by John Mather at the Athenaeum Melbourne.
* 1911 Exhibition of Mr J. Mather’s Paintings, at the Athenaeum Melbourne.
* 1912 Exhibition of Mr J. Mather’s Paintings, at the Athenaeum Melbourne.
In 1916 after his death his wife organised the Memorial Exhibition of Pictures by the late John Mather, at the Athenaeum, Melbourne.

## John Mather's Studio

Painting en plein air has been overemphasised and the role of studio work understated in Australian art history. Whilst periodically undertaking outdoor painting, many Australian artists maintained studios in the cities. John Mather had a number of studios throughout his career and used them for his art, both painting and etching; as well as art lessons, exhibitions of his work and meetings with fellow artists.
As early as 1881 John Mather had a studio at 95 Collins Street Melbourne, and by 1888, a studio at Healesville. In March 1891, he opened a studio at the Austral Buildings Collins Street Melbourne giving classes for the study of oil and water-color painting. The morning classes were held from ten o'clock until one, and the afternoon from two until five. The studio was filled with landscape sketches and studies for the free use of his pupils. Described in 1891;The studio is large and well lit and attractively furnished, while it is not overladen with the heterogenous collection so dear to the heart of the average artist. Mr. Mather’s room is made to appear what it is - a place to work and study, and the number of sketches in oil and water color that adorn the walls, proclaim the busy life of the painter.
He also had studios at his various residences. His last studio at his South Yarra residence was described as a large low room with polished floor contained a grand piano and a few art treasures and beautiful hangings. The artist's own pictures took up most of the wall space, and the dark polished floor was shining perfection. ... Mather’s own little grandson was sometimes an interested spectator when the artist was at work. Once the child asked “Why is that cow white, grandpa?” In reply the artist explained the colour scheme of his picture it some length, concluding with the exact reason why, to complete the colour scheme, that cow in the foreground was white. To all of which the five-year-old child listened patiently, then contradicted him briefly with, “Tis not. It's because it's full of milk "
Some of his larger paintings were completed in his studio from smaller oil or water colour paintings. A magic lantern slide of unknown date shows John Mather in his studio posed before a large partially complete watercolour. Likewise in 1898 he is noted as; expanding his fascinating scrap, "Evening," into a water colour, "The Golden West," of large size and characteristic completeness.
Whilst his larger pictures were painted indoors from sketches; it was when seated out in the open with a small block or pochade before him that he was at his happiest and came nearest to the realisation of his ideals as an artist.

## Residences, Studios and other Addresses

Mather had a number of homes, studios and other addresses throughout his career, including:
| 1879 | | 83 Swanston Street Melbourne | Address |
| 1880 | | 5 Royal Terrace Nicholson Street | Address |
| 1881 | | 1 Eaton Terrace Grattan Street Carlton | Address |
| 1881 | | Davis Street South Yarra, | Residence |
| 1881 | - 1887 | 95 Collins Street Melbourne | Studio |
| 1885 | - 1888 | 33 Darling Street, South Yarra | Residence |
| 1885 | | Artistic Stationery Company (Buxton's) incorporating business of F. Hyman & J. Mather, Artists, Colormen and Stationers and Decorating Business, 69, 71, 131 Swanston Street and 84 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne | Business |
| 1886 | - 1888 | Blannin Street Healesville (Purchased 1881) | Studio |
| 1888 | - 1889 | 3 Murphy Street, South Yarra | Residence and Studio |
| 1889 | c.1894 | Koombahla, Healesville | Residence and for some years prior a studio (see above) |
| 1891 | - 1891 | Grosvenor Chambers, 9 Collins Street Melbourne (Occupied Tom Robert's studio) | Studio |
| 1891 | c.1913 | Austral Building 117-119 Collins Street, Melbourne | Studio |
| 1895 | c.1901 | The Pines, Wellington Street, Brighton | Residence |
| 1900 | - 1902 | 136 Alma Rd East St. Kilda (Carhue School for Girls) | Studio |
| 1901 | - 1912 | 156 Alma Rd, East St. Kilda | Residence and Studio |
| 1912 | - 1916 | Cadzow, 383 Toorak Road, South Yarra | Residence and Studio |

## Students

Mr John Mather is reported to have had a wide celebrity as a teacher, and ... there are artists of repute in Melbourne now who commenced their careers in his Austral School in Collins Street. He gave lessons at his studio in the Austral Building and at his residences. His lessons included outdoor sketching excursions, often along the coast, where students used pencil, pen and ink and watercolor.
His students include:
* Jessie Traill
* Ida Rentoul Outhwaite
* Jessie Laver Evans
* Janet Cumbrae-Stewart
* M. J. MacNally
* Ellis Rowan
* Miss Robertson
* Lady Downer
* Margaret Forrest or Lady Forrest
* Lady Williams
* David Davies
* Alexander McClintock
* Polly Hurry
* Dora Wilson
* Janie Wilkinson Whyte
* James Fawcett of Fawcett and Ashworth
* Arthur Jerome Salmon

## Death

Mather died of diabetes at his home, Cadzow, South Yarra, Victoria on 18 February 1916; he was buried in the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery and lay in a grave with no memorial for more than 100 years.
Written just thirteen years after his death;
In July 2023 a small plaque was placed on the grave simply stating:
Mr John Mather 1848 – 1916 The beauty of his Art endures.
The words, his Art endures, refers to his painting and etching but also the art he nurtured as a mentor, teacher and one of the founding fathers of art in Victoria.

## Loved, Lost and Found - The Art of John Mather

Art historians and researchers, as well as recent exhibitions, are broadening the understanding of Australian art which has historically emphasised a few artists whilst marginalising other important artists and their work.
John Mather was a landscape painter of considerable reputation during his lifetime. Together with artists such as David Davies and John Ford Paterson, John Mather was considered as significant as other now well known Australian plein air artists. However a little more than decade after his death he was almost forgotten.
In 1919 the death of his youngest son, emigration of his daughter and grandson to the USA, illness and later death of his wife overseas meant that by 1920, other than a son with incapacitating mental health, none of his immediate family remained in Melbourne. His extensive art collection was auctioned on the 25th June 1919.
In the following decades, art critics, historians and curators focused narrowly on a few selected artists and images of Australian impressionism. Leading Australian art magazines of the early 20th Century made no reference to John Mather's work. Art historians of the 1930's, largely transcribed in subsequent art histories, included little information about his activities. Other than the occasional individual work loaned or sold by others, there were no significant exhibitions of his work.
Similarly many of the titles of his work have been long forgotten with nominal or generic titles applied at art auctions. Fortunately John Mather illustrated the scene as he saw it, and it is often possible to identify the location of the paintings using historic material such as photographs and maps. The documented locations of his residences, studios and painting camps are also informative. Careful research can reveal the true title he gave his work, as with Morning San Remo 1900 illustrated, auctioned under the nominal title ‘Lake Scene’.
Though the subject matter and location of his paintings, where he lived and worked, newspaper reports and other material - the life of John Mather can be illuminated.
Most importantly a greater appreciation of his art is achieved, his teaching, and the role he played in the early days of Victoria’s art. Insights further to those already documented, can be gleaned of the rich, exciting, and dynamic world of art in Melbourne more than 120 years ago, when Art mattered.
His Art, which was loved, then lost, has been found.

## Collections

* National Gallery of Australia
* National Library of New Zealand
* National Gallery of Victoria
* Art Gallery of New South Wales
* Art Gallery of Western Australia
* Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
* Queensland Art Gallery
* State Library of Victoria
* Geelong Art Gallery
* Ballarat Art Gallery
* Castlemaine Art Museum
* Benalla Art Gallery
* Launceston Art Gallery
* Newcastle Art Gallery
* Latrobe Regional Gallery
* New England Regional Art Museum
* Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
* Bayside Gallery, Bayside City Council

## Notes and References

Notes
* ↑ Census transcripts of 1841 to 1851 confirm that Thomas Fairbairn, resided in Glasgow in 1851. He is noted as Teacher of Drawing Portrait and Landscape Painter. Census transcripts of 1861 to 1881 confirm that Thomas Fairbairn had moved to Hamilton. He is noted as Landscape & Portrait Painter and Teacher of Drawing. Source: LH Genealogy Thomas Fairbairn http://fairbairn.lornahen.com/p67356.htm accessed 12 Jan 2025. Electric Scotland Art in Scotland accessed 12 Jan 2025, states that Fairbairn's relocation from Glasgow to Hamilton was because of its proximity to the old oak tree forest of Cadzow. Noting the location as an ideal environment for a painter of woodland scenery and frequented by many Scottish landscape-painters. Also that few water-colour painters of his time excelled Fairbairn in his delineation of forest scenery.
* ↑ The year John Mather first exhibited a painting is unclear. John Mather's comments and documents suggest exhibition of his first painting between 1868 and 1874. A secondary source suggests 1876. The sources include, John Mather's 1904 Exhibition Catalogue of Australian Landscapes lists the Isle of Mull, Scotland as exhibited in Glasgow 30 years ago suggesting 1874. The Weekly Times, 8 Aug 1908 Page 12, The Artists’ President refers to his first exhibited work being shown 40 years ago which suggests around 1868. The Mail 13 Sep 1913 p.1 A Lifetime of Art notes that his first painting was sold to a Professor Meyer from America in 1913. In 1916, The Herald Sat 19 Feb 1916 p.3 NOTED ARTIST DIES refers to the first picture he ever exhibited,40 years ago, at the Edinburgh Exhibition, a watercolor, showing two houses, with straw roofs, is in the possession of a Melbourne resident suggesting 1876.
* ↑ View from Maxwells Road Bridge HeaIesville March 2024John Mather most likely painted On the Upper Yarra near Rourke’s Bridge where the old route from Lilydale to Healesville crossed the Yarra River. The Maxwell's Road bridge now stands nearby in its place. Looking north east from this bridge - the river, vegetation, the distant view of a mountain or hill, the colours and tones of the scene are still remarkedly similar to that rendered by the artist in 1885. Historic photographs of Rourke's Bridge circa 1875-85 confirm the riverscape and vegetation depicted in the painting. The title of the painting, or its location, is partly hand written on the reverse of the watercolour backing mount and reads On the U or On the Y. The remainder of the title has been lost when the original back mount of the water colour was trimmed. Sources: Site Visit 30 Mar 2024, State Library of Victoria Pictures Collection, Harvey, J. H. (1875). New Rourke’s bridge, Healesville and McDonald, D. (1885). View on the Yarra at Rouke’s Bridge, near Healesville, looking North - Mt. St. Leonard & Mt. Monda, Inspection of painting 25 Mar 2024
* ↑ In 1906 John Mather nominated a number paintings, varied in style and subject matter, as his favourites in the National Gallery. Emphasising that he believed there was no orthodox creed in art, and no absolute rule for a good painting. He pointed to the tension between the need for an artist to develop a style or manner, and when successful an artist becoming trapped by that effort. John Mather nominated as his favourite paintings: • Peter Graham 1869 Autumnal Showers • John Macallan Swan 1891 African Panthers • August Friedrich Schenck 1878 Anguish • William Quiller Orchardson 1887 The First Cloud • John Pettie 1866 Arrest for Witchcraft • Camille Pissarro 1897 Boulevard Montmartre • J.M.W Turner c.1826 Okehampton Castle Source: William Moore 1906 Studio Sketches Glimpses of Melbourne Studio Life, My Favourite Gallery Pictures The View of the Artist, P.13 - 14. All of these paintings are illustrated, amongst others, in the 1908 Illustrated Catalogue of the National Gallery of Victoria printed and published for the Trustees of the Public Library, Museums and National Gallery of Victoria.
* ↑ Other artists described as exhibiting included: Mr. E. Fraser, Mr. W. H. Withers, Mr. Llewelyn Jones, Mr. Robertson Gow, Mr. G. P. Morrison, Mr. Julian Gibbs, Mr. J. W. Curtis, Mr. J. A. Turner, Mr. James Murray, Mr. E. A'Beckett, Signor Ugo Catani, Miss Alice Chapman, Miss F. Fuller, Miss Walker, Mr. W. Barratt, Mr. Julian Ashton, Mr. George Ashton, Mr. C. W. Foster, Mrs. George Parsons, Mr. James Robertson, Mr. G. H. Taylor, Mr. Robert Gow, Mrs. F. C. Rowan, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Malcolm Campbell, Mr. Louis Abraham, Mrs. Roth, Mr. R. Kretschmann, Mr. J. S. Wilson, Mr. Carl Kahler, Mr. J. R. Ashton, Mr. Percival Ball, Sources: The Argus 7 Sep 1886 Page 7 Exhibition of the Australian Artists' Association and The Age Wed 8 Sep 1886 Page 6 The Australian Artists' Association
* ↑ This is the first etching exhibited in an art society's exhibition in Australia. (Source: Roger Butler 2007 Printed Images by Australian Artists 1885 -1955 pp. 6-7.) Etching, after J. Mather. L. Abrahams is listed in the catalogue of the First Annual Exhibition of the Australian Artists' Association held in September 1886 at the Buxton Gallery. The etching illustrates an 1880 painting by John Mather and provides an insight into his work of that time. The etching also demonstrates the professional and personal relationships between the artists that formed Australian Artists' Association.
* ↑ This water colour was probably exhibited as Gathering Sea-Weeds in 1900 at the Twenty-First Annual Exhibition of the Royal Art Society of New South Wales. The title Gathering Sea-Weeds is uncommon for John Mather compared to the titles of his other paintings, with only one other similar title, "Carting Seaweed" dated 1884. In 2024 the painting was sold at auction in Selbourne United Kingdom with the title Gathering Seaweed. The backing of the watercolour has Brighton Beach written on the reverse likely its location rather than its exhibition title, given the subject matter of the painting. The watercolour depicts a person with horse and cart gathering seaweed from the beach at Holloway Bend, Brighton Beach looking towards Green Point. The painting provides a historical view of Green Point prior to the construction of coastal protection works. Contemporary reports and art critics note that John Mather is known for the accurate depiction of the view before him. Old photographs prior to the coastal protection works at Green Point and Holloway Bend confirm the aspect of the cliff illustrated in the painting, the detail of signs and posts, the disposition of the beach, reserve fencing and coast line. Later aerial photographs show a bluestone seawall under construction in the 1930’s. Subsequent filling and later rock batters have extended the point seawards. The gathering of seaweed is documented in the Diaries of Mrs Thomas Anne Ward Cole of St Ninians Brighton (1867 - 1882) in which she notes that men at work on the St Ninian estate; were carting sea-weed to the paddocks and ploughing it in. Two years before the date of the watercolour, in January 1895, The Argus also confirms the practice of carting away seaweed stating: The late storms have lodged large quantities of jelly like seaweed on the beach and this while decaying is of course unpleasant whether one finds it at Brighton or at Lorne. The council has done the best it can probably in this matter by inviting market gardeners to cart away the weed for manure, and no doubt it would be a first-rate fertiliser. When interviewed in 1913, John Mather remarked: Though I have never sent any pictures home numbers have found their way to the Old World through visitors purchasing them here. Sir Hartley Williams, one of the late judges of Victoria, took quite a collection of my watercolours with him to England and on a return visit he secured many more. On reaching England again he held a reception, and I am told that there was quite a buzz over Mather’s watercolours. The painting, whether brought back by visitors returning to Europe or part of a collection when resettling to England, is representative of the national and international art market of the turn of the 19th Century. Sources: Art Society of NSW catalogue summary from Art Index DxLab – State Library of NSW accessed 31 May 2024 (Note John Mather is incorrectly referred to as “James” Mather). Invaluable Past Sales Search accessed 8 Feb 2025. Inspection of painting 8 Feb 2025. Bates W. 1983 2nd Ed. A History of Brighton p.337, The Argus 21 Jan 1895 Page 5 IS BRIGHTON INSANITARY, The Mail, 13 Sep 1913 p.1 A Lifetime of Art.
* ↑ Jessie Traill took lessons in etching from John Mather at his Austral Art School. In 1903 she kept a notebook of her lessons commenting on the etchings within it as they progress through various states. The notebook details her active engagement in the print making process and the tuition of John Mather. Together with jottings of sales, news clippings and a congratulatory letter from John Mather, her early success with the medium is documented. Jessie Traill's 1903 notebook reveals in intimate detail her lessons with John Mather. For example, the notes on an etching that Jessie Traill considered a failure: Ground marked twice lines far too open & apart no mysterious depths drawing shaky, confused & altogether a failure, Mr Mather could not tell which way up. Mounted at 90 degrees from her notes and without visual cues, the correct orientation of the etching is difficult to determine. Later in the etching, Boat Builder's Shop, she includes some common place items in the foreground that leave no doubt as to the orientation of that etching. Boat Builder's Shop was exhibited in Melbourne, Adelaide and Launceston in 1905. The etching was praised in reviews and sold for 15/0. John Mather sent her a congratulatory letter which Jessie mounts in the notebook together with news clippings of the day.
* ↑ Morning San Remo is an oil painting on canvas signed and dated J.Mather.1.1900. in a precise hand. The picture frame with a W & G. Dean label, is most likely the original exhibition frame. Reflecting its age, the frame is in need of restoration with the least damaged area illustrated here.Frame Detail of Morning San Remo 1900 John Mather A small cloth tag attached to the reverse of the frame has San Remo hand written in brown ink. This is not illustrated to prevent modern reproduction. The view is recognisable as looking east from San Remo Beach towards the Strzelecki Ranges. Source: Inspection of the painting 22 Dec 2022. In recent years the painting has been auctioned under the nominal title ‘Lake Scene’, however the view is clearly of a tidal water body and not a lake. The painting was exhibited as Lot 58 Morning San Remo J. Mather £21 0 0 in the Victorian Artists Society Annual Exhibition November 1900. Contemporary newspaper articles describe the painting: The principal work shown by the President, Mr John Mather, is Morning, San Remo, an oil colour, different in choice of subject and treatment from his usual work. The morning mist rising from the sea is well rendered, a fishing boat is seen pushing off for the day’s work. Weekly Times 10 Nov 1900 p.25 Art and Artists. Morning at San Remo, by Mr Mather, is a good realisation of the delicate luminous grey of early morning. The tranquil waters of the inlet reflect the clouds and light overhead, and the suggestion of the atmosphere which seems to rise like the faintest of veils from the surface of the water, is charming. The Age 5 Nov 1900 pp 6, VICTORIAN ARTISTS' SOCIETY. The effect of the pearly grey softness of his “Morning at San Remo” is spoilt by the treatment of the rocky foreground. Table Talk 8 Nov 1900 p. 15 LETTERS AND THE ARTS. There is not nearly so much in the way of landscapes to be seen this time, and of seascapes there are but few, but there is one by J. Mather of " Morning, San Remo," which makes one feel in love with the time, the place, the artist and all, it is so dreamily fresh and fair. Fitzroy City Press 30 Nov 1900 p.2 GENERALLY ARTISTIC. Similar views, albeit with a lower tide, are illustrated in a water colour signed by John Mather and dated 1902 in the collection of the Geelong Gallery titled Passing Showers. and in an unsigned oil on board attributed to John Mather nominally titled ‘Rowboat on Shore’, with Badger and Fox Gallery, Sydney. Source: Inspection 22 Dec 2022. In December 2022 Morning San Remo 1900 by John Mather was in the care of a private collector.
References
* 1 2 3 4 Judy Blyth, 'Mather, John (1848? - 1916)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
* ↑ Table Talk 2 Nov 1888 p.3
* 1 2 The Mail 13 Sep 1913 p.1, A Lifetime of Art
* ↑ Glasgow Life/ Collections/ Art and Design https://libcat.csglasgow.org/web/arena/art-and-design-subject accessed 20 May 2024
* ↑ The Mail 13 Sep 1913 p.1, A Lifetime of Art
* ↑ Weekly Times 8 Aug 1908 Page 12 The Artists’ President
* ↑ Weekly Times 8 Aug 1908 Page 12 The Artists’ President
* 1 2 3 The Register 9 Sep 1913 p. 10, Art and an Artist
* ↑ Loch Long Passenger List 8 October 1877
* 1 2 The Argus Mon 9 Dec 1878 Page 5 MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1878.
* 1 2 Victorian Academy of Arts, Apr 1879, The Ninth Exhibition of the Victorian Academy of Arts Catalogue
* ↑ The Australasian Sat 19 Apr 1879 Page 21 FINE ARTS.
* ↑ The Telegraph, St Kilda, Prahran and South Yarra Guardian Sat 27 Dec 1879 Page 3 ITEMS OF GENERAL NEWS.
* ↑ Geelong Advertiser Sat 20 Dec 1879 Page 2 TOWN TALK.
* ↑ The Age Sat 20 Dec 1879 Page 5 NEWS OF THE DAY.
* 1 2 The Age 29 Oct 1881 p.5 News of the Day
* ↑ The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil Sat 8 Apr 1882 Page 107 Fine Arts
* ↑ Ancestory.com John Mather family tree accessed 6 Oct 2022
* ↑ "The Argus, 21 Feb 1916".
* ↑ Ancestry.com John Mather Family Tree accessed 6 Oct 2022
* ↑ She-Oak and Sunlight Australian Impressionism Art Work Labels
* ↑ Table Talk Fri 2 Nov 1888 Page 3 Table Talk.
* ↑ Table Talk 16 Jan 1891 Page 8 Mr. John Mather.
* ↑ Table Talk 27 Feb 1891 Page 7 Mr. John Mather.
* ↑ The Age 20 Mar 1885 Page 6 ART NOTES.
* ↑ The Age 24 Apr 1885 Page 6 ART NOTES.
* ↑ The Age 6 June 1885 Page 15 ART NOTES.
* ↑ The Age 24 Apr 1885 p 6 Art Notes
* ↑ The Age 24 Apr 1885 Page 6 ART NOTES.
* 1 2 3 William Moore 1934 The Story of Australian Art from the Earliest Known Art of the Continent to the Art of To-Day Vol. 1 Chapter 2 The Camps Round Melbourne p. 70
* ↑ William Moore 1934 The Story of Australian Art from the Earliest Known Art of the Continent to the Art of To-Day Vol. 1 Chapter 2 The Camps Round Melbourne p. 76
* ↑ William Moore 1906 Studio Sketches Glimpses of Melbourne Studio Life, My Favourite Gallery Pictures The View of the Artist, P.13 - 14.
* ↑ Public Library, Museums and National Gallery of Victoria 1908 Illustrated Catalogue of the National Gallery
* ↑ William Moore 1906 Studio Sketches Glimpses of Melbourne Studio Life, My Favourite Gallery Pictures The View of the Artist, P.13 - 14.
* ↑ William Moore 1906 Studio Sketches Glimpses of Melbourne Studio Life, My Favourite Gallery Pictures The View of the Artist, P.13 - 14.
* ↑ William Moore 1906 Studio Sketches Glimpses of Melbourne Studio Life, My Favourite Gallery Pictures The View of the Artist, P.13 – 14
* ↑ Art in Australia No. 8 (1921) Lionel Lindsay Tom Roberts
* ↑ The Australasian Sat 13 Jun 1885 Page 7 NEW ART PREMISES.
* ↑ The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil Wed 21 Oct 1885 Page 163 Sketches Pencil
* ↑ The Age 3 Jun 1886 Page 7 THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF AUSTRALIAN ART.
* ↑ The Argus 2 Jun 1886 Page 7 PROPOSED EXHIBITION OF WORK BY AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS.
* ↑ The Daily Telegraph Wed 8 Sep 1886 Page 5 THE ARTISTS' ASSOCIATION EXHIBITION.
* ↑ The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser 18 Sep 1886 Page 579 Gossip
* ↑ The Argus 7 Sep 1886 Page 7 EXHIBITION OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS' ASSOCIATION
* 1 2 3 Minute Book of the Australian Artists Association, 1886-1888
* ↑ Australian Artist's Association, 1887, Summer Exhibition Illustrated Catalogue
* ↑ Australian Artist's Association, 1887, Winter Exhibition Illustrated Catalogue
* ↑ The Argus 8 Sep 1886 Page 5 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1886.
* ↑ Australian Artist's Association, 1888, First annual report: year ending Dec 1887
* ↑ McGrath J. Oct 1974 The Australian Art Association 1912 - 1933 against the social background of the period, p.1 Advanced Librarianship Special Study, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in the State Library of Victoria Collection RA.2022.57 Box 1/2
* ↑ Christesen C.B. (Editor) 1970 The gallery on the Eastern Hill The Victorian Artist Society Centenary
* ↑ The Argus 4 May 1880 p.1 Political Summary
* ↑ The Age 6 Oct 1880 p.6 The Exhibition
* ↑ Serle, Percival (1949). "Mather, John". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 McCulloch, Alan; McCulloch, Susan; McCulloch Childs, Emily (2006). The new McCulloch's encyclopedia of Australian art (4th ed.). Fitzroy: AUS Art Editions; The Miegunyah Press. p. 667. ISBN 0-522-85317-X. OCLC 80568976.
* ↑ Mead, Stephen F. (December 2011). "The Search for Artistic Professionalism in Melbourne: the activities of the Buonarotti Club, 1883 -1887". The Latrobe Journal. 88.
* ↑ Judy Blyth, John (1848? - 1916), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
* ↑ Judy Blyth, John (1848? - 1916), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
* ↑ Judy Blyth, John (1848? - 1916), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
* ↑ Judy Blyth, John (1848? - 1916), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
* ↑ Judy Blyth, John (1848? - 1916), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, 1986, pp 438-439. Retrieved 2010-04-01
* ↑ State Library of Victoria Collection, Various original and copies of Exhibition Catalogues accessed 16 Apr 2024, 7 May 2024, 17 May 2024, 18 May 2024, and 25 Jun 2024. National Gallery of Australia Online record accessed 22 May 2024.
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts Exhibition Catalogues
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts Exhibition Catalogues
* ↑ The Ballarat Courier 13 Jun 1884 p.4 BALLARAT FINE ART EXHIBITION.
* ↑ The Ballarat Star 13 Jun 1884 p. 2 THE FINE ARTS EXHIBITION IN BALLARAT.
* ↑ Australian Artists Association Exhibition
* ↑ Victorian Artists Society Exhibition Catalogues 1898 -1913
* ↑ Victorian Artists Society Exhibition Catalogue
* ↑ Victorian Artists Society Exhibition Catalogue
* ↑ Australian Art Association Exhibition Catalogue
* ↑ Art Society of NSW catalogue summary from Art Index DxLab – State Library of NSW accessed 31 May 2024 (Note John Mather is incorrectly referred to as “James” Mather)
* ↑ The Mercury 17 Jan 1911 p8, Water Colour Paintings Trowbridge Bros, Elizabeth Street, Hobart, 1911 Exhibition of John Mather’s Water Colours
* ↑ The Advertiser p.23 ART EXHIBITION Wed 10 Sep 1913 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5800792?searchTerm=Mather%20Paintings. The Register 11 Sep 1913 p.7 EXHIBITION OF MR. J. MATHER'S PAINTINGS https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59111151?searchTerm=Mather%20Paintings, The Mail 13 Sep 1913 p.3 PAINTINGS AND ETCHINGS https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63805634?searchTerm=Mather%20Paintings#
* ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald 15 Jul 1895 p. 7 Country News, National Advocate 3 Jul 1895 p.2 Pictures for Country Towns, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser 6 July 1895 p. 43 Provincial Art Loan Exhibition
* ↑ Goulburn Herald 14 Jun 1897 p.3 Fresh Loan of Pictures
* ↑ Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate 26 Jun 1897 p.7 New Pictures at the Technological Museum
* ↑ Lake J. Superintendent of Fine Arts 1888 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE PICTURE GALLERIES AND CATALOGUE OF FINE ARTS. COMPILED AND EDITED FOR THE COMMISSIONERS
* ↑ Catalogue of the Exhibition of Works of Victorian Artists and a Loan Collection of Pictures at the Art Gallery of the Exhibition Building held under the Auspices of the Exhibition Trustees and the Victorian Artists' Society in the Art Gallery of the Exhibition Buildings December 1890 .
* ↑ Victorian Gold Jubilee Exhibition : 1851-1901 : Bendigo : art catalogue. Bendigo: T. Cambridge, Printer, Engraver &c.
* ↑ The Australasian 12 Jan 1884 p. 5 EXHIBITIONS.
* ↑ The Australasian 1 Mar 1884 p. 5 EXHIBITIONS.
* ↑ Ballarat Art Gallery Collection Search accessed 13 Mar 2025
* ↑ Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886 Official Catalogue. London: William Clowes and Sons. 1886. p.179
* ↑ Once a month : a magazine for Australasia Vol. 4 No. 3 (1 March 1886) Art Melbourne by E.A.C p.264
* ↑ The Age 19 Jan 1886 p.6 NET NOTES.
* ↑ Exhibition of Australian art in London : Grafton Galleries, Grafton Street, London, W., 2nd April to 7th May, Catalogue 1898
* ↑ Kiralfy I. Director General 1899 Official Catalogue of Greater Britain Exhibition
* ↑ Catalogue of Exhibition of Australian Landscapes by John Mather Oct 1904
* ↑ The Age 16 Mar 1911 p.10 Art Notes
* ↑ Exhibition of Mr J. Mather's Paintings 26 September 1912 Catalogue
* ↑ The Herald 29 Aug 1916 p.9 COLLECTION WELL TYPIFIES WORK OF LATE JOHN MATHER
* ↑ Taylor A. 2007 Perils of the Studio p.63
* ↑ Astbury L. 1989 Sunlight and Shadow : Australian Impressionist Painters 1880-1900, p.9
* ↑ The Argus 20 Aug 1881 Page 10 Advertising
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts The Twelfth Exhibition Mar 1882
* ↑ The Age 31 Mar 1888 Country Sketches p.4 which he maintained until about 1894.
* ↑ The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser 10 Nov 1888 Page 980 Melbourne Gossip
* ↑ Leader 10 Mar 1894 Fine Arts Amongst the Country Studios p. 32.
* ↑ Table Talk 26 Mar 1891Mr. John Matherp.12
* ↑ Table Talk May 1891 "Mr. John Mather" p.5.
* ↑ Brighton Southern Cross 17 Oct 1896 Advertising p 2
* ↑ The Age 1 Jun 1901 Page 8 ART NOTES.
* ↑ The Argus Sat 28 Sep 1929 Page 5 Memories of Mather
* ↑ The Age 7 Jan 1898 Page 6 VICTORIAN ARTISTS' SOCIETY.
* ↑ John Mather Artist, Glass Magic Lantern Slide, Private Collection sighted 21 Feb 2025
* ↑ The Age 7 Jan 1898 Page 6 VICTORIAN ARTISTS' SOCIETY.
* ↑ The Age 5 Nov 1932 Page 4 AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS OF THE PAST
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts, 1879 The Ninth Exhibition Catalogue p.13
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts, 1879 The Tenth Exhibition Catalogue p.14
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts, 1879 The Eleventh Exhibition Catalogue p.15
* ↑ Prahran City Council Rates Records 1881
* ↑ The Argus 20 Aug 1881 Page 10 Advertising
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts The Twelfth Exhibition Mar 1882
* 1 2 Sands and McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1885
* ↑ Evening Journal, Latest News, 13 Dec 1886 p.2
* ↑ Victorian Academy of Arts, Apr 1887 The Seventeenth Exhibition Catalogue p.14
* ↑ Prahran City Council Rates Records 1885 -1888
* ↑ Symonds S., Healesville, History of the Hills, Lilydale, Pioneer Design Studio, 1982 p.24-25
* ↑ Evening Journal, Latest News, 13 Dec 1886 p.2 notes Mr J. Mather of Healesville and Collins Street East, Melbourne
* ↑ The Age 31 Mar 1888 Country Sketches p.4 refers to John Mather having studio but does not mention a residence
* ↑ Table Talk 2 Nov 1888 p.3 notes John Mather has had a studio at Healesville for some years and is now building a residence.
* ↑ Prahran City Council Rates Records 1885 -1888
* ↑ Thallon's Ledger 1888 -1903, National Gallery of Victoria accessed 13 Feb 2024
* ↑ The Age, 18 Feb 1888, p.8 Situations Vacant
* ↑ Autumn Exhibition Catalogue, Victorian Artists' Society May 1888 p.20
* ↑ The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser 10 Nov 1888 Page 980 Melbourne Gossip.
* ↑ Table Talk 2 Nov 1888 p.3 notes John Mather has had a studio at Healesville for some years and is now building a residence.
* ↑ Leader 10 Mar 1894 Fine Arts Amongst the Country Studios p. 32
* ↑ Table Talk 27 Feb 1891 page 7
* ↑ Table Talk 26 March 1891 page 12, Victorian Artists Society Exhibition Catalogues 1898 -1913, Sands and McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1900 & 1910
* ↑ Brighton City Council Rates Records 1895-1900, Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1900
* ↑ Victorian Artists Society Exhibition Catalogues 1900,1901 & 1902, The Argus 5 Oct 1901, Advertisements p. 14
* ↑ Victorian Artists Society Exhibition Catalogues 1903 - 1912, The Age 1 Jun 1901 Art Notes p 8, Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1905-1910
* ↑ The Bulletin, Vol.33 No.1668 1 Feb 1912 p.22 Melbourne Chatter
* ↑ Exhibition of Mr J. Mather's Paintings 26 September 1912 Catalogue
* ↑ Brighton Southern Cross 17 Oct 1896 Advertising p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla news-article166116662 accessed 15 January 2025
* ↑ The Age 5 Nov 1932 p4. Australian Artists of the Past
* ↑ Lee, M.A, 1982 The Etched Work of Jessie C.A. Traill 1881 -1967 pp. 22 & 24
* ↑ Jo Oliver, 2020, Jessie Traill A Biography, pp 29-30
* ↑ Jessie Traill (1903) 'Copper Plate Etchings and Notes thereon, J.C.A. Traill 1903'. Jessie Traill Papers, State Library of Victoria, Ms 7975, Box F798/5 (b)
* ↑ The Argus 28 Sep 1929 p5, Memories of Mather
* ↑ http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cumbrae-stewart-janet-agnes-5842 Accessed 29 Apr2024
* ↑ Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, 1956. A Catalogue of Australian Paintings and Drawings in the Tasmanian Art Gallery p 44
* ↑ The Argus The Argus 28 Sep 1929 p5, Memories of Mather
* ↑ Table Talk, 29 May 1891. p5 Mr John Mather
* ↑ The Registrar, 9 Sept 1913, p10, The Mail 13 Sept 1913 p1
* 1 2 The Mail 13 Sept 1913 p1, A Lifetime of Art
* ↑ The Mail 13 Sept 1913 p1, A Lifetime of Art
* ↑ The Australasian 28 Jan 1922 p34, Art Notes
* ↑ Design and Art Australia Online accessed 4 Apr 2024
* ↑ Punch 27 Jun 1901 p.9 Mr James Fawcett
* ↑ The Bulletin, 18 Feb 1948 vol. 69, no. 3549, pp. 18.
* ↑ Site Visit 18 Aug 2022
* ↑ MacGregor, L.F (28 September 1929). "The Argus". Memories of Mather A PAINTER OF SUNSHINE. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
* ↑ Site Inspection and commission for plaque 5 Aug 2023
* ↑ Topliss H. 1992 The Artist's Camps 'Plein Air Painting in Australia
* ↑ Tegart, L., Art Gallery of Ballarat, host institution, Gellatly, K., & Peers, J. (2022). Beating About The Bush : A new lens on Australian Impressionism / Louise Tegart, Kelly Gellatly, Juliette Peers. Ballarat, VIC: Art Gallery of Ballarat.
* ↑ The Age 5 Nov 1932 p. 4 AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS OF THE PAST
* ↑ Topliss H. 1992 The Artist's Camps 'Plein Air Painting in Australia p.23
* ↑ The Argus 28 Sep 1929 Memories of Mather A PAINTER OF SUNSHINE p.5
* ↑ Wehner V. 2015 A Forgotten Hero of The Great War
* ↑ Arthur Tuckett & Son 1919, Auction sale of the Mather collection of oil paintings and water color drawings: Under instructions from the Executors of the Late J. Mather
* ↑ Galbally A. in Clark J. Whitelaw B.1985 Golden Summers Heidelberg and Beyond p.9
* ↑ Topliss H. 1992 The Artist's Camps 'Plein Air Painting in Australia p.1-3, p.6-7
* ↑ Topliss H. 1992 The Artist's Camps 'Plein Air Painting in Australia p.1-3
* ↑ Topliss H. 1992 The Artist's Camps 'Plein Air Painting in Australia p.6 p.23-24
* ↑ The Australian Painter-Etchers' Society Catalogue First Annual Exhibition June 1921 Sydney
* ↑ Decoration Company Auctioneers 1923 The Magnificent Collection of Pictures The Property of Mrs Hugo Meyer
* ↑ Australian Art Auction Records, Australian Art Sales Digest and Invaluable past sales listings accessed various dates
* ↑ Weekly Times 10 Nov 1900 p.25 Art and Artists.
* ↑ The Age 5 Nov 1900 pp 6, VICTORIAN ARTISTS' SOCIETY.
* ↑ Table Talk 8 Nov 1900 p. 15 LETTERS AND THE ARTS.
* ↑ Fitzroy City Press 30 Nov 1900 p.2 GENERALLY ARTISTIC
* ↑ Astbury L. 1989 Sunlight and Shadow : Australian Impressionist Painters 1880-1900, Painters and Places p.7-23
* ↑ Topliss H. 1992 The Artist's Camps 'Plein Air Painting in Australia p.53-63
* ↑ National Gallery of Australia website collections search accessed 17 August 2024
* ↑ National Library of New Zealand website collections search accessed 17 August 2024
* ↑ Queensland Art Gallery website collections search accessed 17 August 2024
* ↑ State Library of Victoria website collections search accessed 17 August 2024
* ↑ Benalla Art Gallery website collections search accessed 29 May 2024
* ↑ Newcastle Art Gallery website collections search accessed 29 May 2024
* ↑ Latrobe Regional Gallery website collections search accessed 17 August 2024
* ↑ New England Regional Art Museum website collections search accessed 11 February 2025
* ↑ Bayside Gallery website collections search accessed 17 August 2024