The American Trader
Engraver
Victor Ernest Cobb
(Australian, 1876 - 1945)
Date1920
Object number00028355
NameEngraving
MediumInk on paper
DimensionsOverall: 305 x 355 mm, 200 g
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionThis engraving by Australian artist Victor Cobb depicts a harbour scene, including an American trading vessel on the Yarra River, Victoria.HistoryAustralian artist Victor Ernest Cobb (1876-1945) studied at the National Gallery School under Lindsay Bernard Hall, working with oils and watercolours. Lacking professional etching equipment, Cobb experimented with hand-made tools and etching presses, producing his first etch in the mid 1890s. With few opportunities for artistic employment, Cobb worked in a variety of jobs, including as a mail order clerk where he met his wife-to-be Alice Bassett. Cobb continued to teach himself wood engraving, and by the 1920s he was one of the few etching specialist in Melbourne.
After various commissions, Cobb worked full time for five years at the National Museum of Australian Zoology where he made detailed anatomical drawings of Australian animals. He went on to exhibit and lecture to art societies and schools. Cobb's meticulous engravings depict many of Melbourne's colleges and churches, as well as landscapes and foreshores and the Victorian country side.SignificanceThis engraving by Australian artisit Victor Cobb highlights the activity of American trading vessels in Australian waters in the early 20th century.
19th century
