page_title: James Laurence Watts
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: James Laurence Watts / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: Bronze Bust of Mr. L. A. Bernays held at Queensland Parliament by sculptor James Laurence Watts
context_page_description: James Laurence Watts was a sculptor in Queensland, Australia. He was one of the pioneer sculptors in Australia and his works appear in many Queensland public buildings and places.
context_section_description: James accepts work on arrival with James Campbell and Sons, a large sawmilling and building materials merchant of Brisbane. James Campbell and Sons had purchased in 1883, Petrie's Quarry and Brickworks along with Fischer’ Pottery at Albion as part of the company's expansion. There was a market at the time for good quality pottery and James was employed as a clay modeller at the pottery.  James continued to be employed at the pottery for most of his working life.
  His first known sculpture is in 1888 in the form of a bust of Sir Anthony Musgrave, an early Governor of Queensland who died in office. This sculpture was displayed at the head office of James Campbell and Sons.
  Queensland Parliament House holds a collection of Watts’ work being a bronze' portal bust of Mr. Lewis Adolphus Bernays (c. 1909) who was the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and  Thomas Joseph Byrnes (c. 1899),  Sir Hugh Nelson (c. 1906), and Sir Thomas McIlwraith, all were one-time Premiers of Queensland when the state was a colony.
  The Queensland Art Gallery holds two items of Watts’ a Jardiniere c.1890 a product of the James Campbell and Sons pottery works and a Sketch model of the late David Bowman (c.1916). Other bust sculptures include Alderman R. Fraser, Mayor of Brisbane (c. 1895), James Campbell (c. 1906), being his employer being noted industrialist and politician along with Judge Edward Mansfield (c. 1906).
  All of these works involve sculpturing in plaster and then in some cases bronzing. He is then commissioned in 1918 by the Queensland Trades and Labour Council to sculpture a marble bust of Emma Miller (1839–1917), a seamstress and women's rights and labour activist. That bust is now held in the Emma Miller Room at the Queensland Council of Unions.
  The National Gallery of Australia holds a collection of 25 ceramic and earthenware items from James Campbell and Sons Albion and it thought that Watts was the originator of most of these items.
  James Watts most noted work was a bronzed sculpture of Boer War soldier on horseback  titled ‘The Scout’ which dominates the Boer War Memorial in Anzac Square in Brisbane. An agreement was made in 1912 with the Boer War Memorial committee for Watts to supply the status in its finished state for £1760. Owing to the difficulties of casting in Australia, the plaster model was sent to Parlanti Bronze Foundries England, and the statue reached Australia in 1917.
  The ability to cast a sculpture of this size was acquired by previous commercial sculpture work for the International Exhibition held in Brisbane during 1897. This was in the form of life-sized equestrian statue of a knight in armour for the brand Champion's Vinegar, whilst the other item is a group of cooks who are disporting themselves over a giant tin of Coleman's mustard.
caption: Bronze Bust of Mr. L. A. Bernays held at Queensland Parliament
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