Frederick Garling (1806 - 1873)

Frederick Garling was one of the most prolific artists working on marine subjects in Sydney in the mid-19th century. He was born in London on 23 February 1806 and came to Australia with his parents in 1815 aboard the FRANCIS AND ELIZA.

Garling was self-taught as a marine artist and had a prodigious output of mainly unsigned works. In 1827 Garling accompanied Captain James Stirling as official artist on his exploratory expedition to the Swan River in Western Australia. He exhibited with the Promotion of the Fine Arts Society in Sydney in 1847and 1848.

Garling painted marine and landscape subjects, and his marine paintings covered both genres. Garling is thought to have painted most of the vessels that came through Port Jackson during his period as a painter, the middle of the 19th century. Garling painted almost exclusively in watercolours and along with an attention to the detail of the ship and background, he created dramatic and atmospheric scenes to accompany the ship portrait.