John Lhotsky
Encyclopedia
John Lhotsky was a Galicia-born Austrian
naturalist, lecturer, artist and author. He wrote and published on the topics of zoology, botany, geology, geography and politics. Lhotsky was active in the early colonies of New South Wales
and Tasmania
from 1832 until 1838. During his sojourn in Australia, Lhotsky described himself, and was known as, Polish.
(now Lviv
, Ukraine
), the son of Joseph Lhotsky. He moved to Vienna
in 1812 and was awarded his doctorate from the University of Jena. He became a member of the Bavarian Botanical Society during this period. In 1819 he published a botanical work Flora Conchica, and other papers for scientific journals, however, his political writing led to a prison sentence of six years. He was released in 1828.
, to explore and describe the 'new world', spending eighteen months in Brazil
before travelling to Australia. He landed at Sydney on 18 May 1832, moved to Hobart in 1836, and sailed to London
1838. While in Australia, and after his return to Europe, he published seminal works on a range of topics. In addition to his books and articles, his works include landscape paintings, and zoological and botanical illustration
s.
He produced numerous articles for newspapers and scientific journals, describing his investigations of the natural history
of Australia. His first work on this topic is supposed to have been 'Australian sketches, no l', anonymously published in the Sydney Gazette
. The account of his expedition, A Journey from Sydney to the Australian Alps, was important for the description of the Monaro
region and Snowy River
. One article, Song of the Women of the Menero Tribe, gives the earliest specimen of Australian music. Lhotsky also visited the site of the future capital, Canberra
, and was the first to note the name 'Kembery' from which it derived. His unpublished works include a vocabulary of the Tasmanian peoples
. He published art criticism in Sydney from 1834 onwards, and is noted as the first to do so, describing the possibilities of the Australian landscape as a subject and it's absence in the colony's active artists. Lhotsky obtained an interview with William Buckley
. The volume Illustrations of the Present State and Future Prospects of New South Wales (1835-6) was published by William Moffit with coloured plates, and gave the "State of Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales".
Lhotsky made important scientific collections and discoveries while in Australia, although he did not succeed in gaining the posts he sought as the official zoologist or naturalist. He attempted to sell his scientific specimens to the authorities, for the foundation of a collection at the Australian Museum
, but his offer was rejected with a comment that the price was too high. Lhotsky made early collections of Alpine flora
in New South Wales, and arranged a collection of 200 species from Tasmania. He also collected mineralogical samples and specimens of the native fauna. These early collections were advertised, and sold from his private concern, the "Australian Philosophical Repository". Lhotsky's works in Australia include the completion of a geological map of the Tasman Peninsula
. He has also been credited as the first discoverer of gold in New South Wales, although his later attempts to seek reward for this failed. His artwork was also advertised and raffled, depicting scenes of the Australian landscape and its unique flora.
, whom he greatly admired, for the London Journal of Botany, and placed letters from Bauer, written on the Investigator expedition to Australia, with the Linnean Society of London
. His sketch of the highly regarded botanical illustrator
was the earliest source of biographical information, the only one for a century after Bauer's death. After his arrival in London, Lhotsky continued to publish material on politics and social commentary, as he had in Vienna and Australia. He died at the Dalston German Hospital in London on November 23, 1866 in apparent dire poverty.
Lhotsky was variously appreciated or damned in the colonies. He was frequently published in local newspapers and, later, castigated in the same. His public disputes with officials led to his leaving New South Wales for Tasmania, then two years later for London. He published many articles on his discoveries and experience in Australia for a public eager for information on the colonies, but some of this was described as slanderous in the Sydney Gazette. He found critics in London too. Impey Murchison described him as the "mad Pole". Later commentators recognized the contribution of the scientist and that his failures were due to indiscretion with his monies and criticism.
The genus Lhotskia, of the family of fish Belonidae, was named for this author, as were the species of shrubs Lhotskya, later transferred to Calytrix
.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
naturalist, lecturer, artist and author. He wrote and published on the topics of zoology, botany, geology, geography and politics. Lhotsky was active in the early colonies of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
from 1832 until 1838. During his sojourn in Australia, Lhotsky described himself, and was known as, Polish.
Early life
Lhotsky, whose first name is also given as Joannes Lhotsky, Johann Lhotsky and Jan Lhotsky, was born in Lemberg, Galicia, Austrian EmpireAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
(now Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), the son of Joseph Lhotsky. He moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1812 and was awarded his doctorate from the University of Jena. He became a member of the Bavarian Botanical Society during this period. In 1819 he published a botanical work Flora Conchica, and other papers for scientific journals, however, his political writing led to a prison sentence of six years. He was released in 1828.
Travel to Australia
Lhotsky was commissioned, by Ludwig I of BavariaLudwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
, to explore and describe the 'new world', spending eighteen months in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
before travelling to Australia. He landed at Sydney on 18 May 1832, moved to Hobart in 1836, and sailed to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1838. While in Australia, and after his return to Europe, he published seminal works on a range of topics. In addition to his books and articles, his works include landscape paintings, and zoological and botanical illustration
Botanical illustration
Botanical illustration is the art of depicting the form, colour, and details of plant species, frequently in watercolour paintings. These are often printed with a botanical description in book, magazines, and other media...
s.
He produced numerous articles for newspapers and scientific journals, describing his investigations of the natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
of Australia. His first work on this topic is supposed to have been 'Australian sketches, no l', anonymously published in the Sydney Gazette
Sydney Gazette
The Sydney Gazette was the first newspaper in Australia. Governor King authorised the publication of what was initially called 'The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser in 1803. Subsequently the first edition was published 5 March...
. The account of his expedition, A Journey from Sydney to the Australian Alps, was important for the description of the Monaro
Monaro, New South Wales
Monaro is the name of a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia. A small area of Victoria near Snowy River National Park is geographically part of the Monaro, whilst the Australian Capital Territory is frequently considered part of the region: most towns have very close links with...
region and Snowy River
Snowy River
The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the Snowy River National Park in Victoria and emptying into...
. One article, Song of the Women of the Menero Tribe, gives the earliest specimen of Australian music. Lhotsky also visited the site of the future capital, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, and was the first to note the name 'Kembery' from which it derived. His unpublished works include a vocabulary of the Tasmanian peoples
Tasmanian Aborigines
The Tasmanian Aborigines were the indigenous people of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Before British colonisation in 1803, there were an estimated 3,000–15,000 Parlevar. A number of historians point to introduced disease as the major cause of the destruction of the full-blooded...
. He published art criticism in Sydney from 1834 onwards, and is noted as the first to do so, describing the possibilities of the Australian landscape as a subject and it's absence in the colony's active artists. Lhotsky obtained an interview with William Buckley
William Buckley (convict)
William Buckley was an English convict who was transported to Australia, escaped, was given up for dead and lived in an Aboriginal community for many years....
. The volume Illustrations of the Present State and Future Prospects of New South Wales (1835-6) was published by William Moffit with coloured plates, and gave the "State of Agriculture and Grazing in New South Wales".
Lhotsky made important scientific collections and discoveries while in Australia, although he did not succeed in gaining the posts he sought as the official zoologist or naturalist. He attempted to sell his scientific specimens to the authorities, for the foundation of a collection at the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
, but his offer was rejected with a comment that the price was too high. Lhotsky made early collections of Alpine flora
Alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in the alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. Alpine plants grow together as a plant community in alpine tundra.-Alpine plant diversity:...
in New South Wales, and arranged a collection of 200 species from Tasmania. He also collected mineralogical samples and specimens of the native fauna. These early collections were advertised, and sold from his private concern, the "Australian Philosophical Repository". Lhotsky's works in Australia include the completion of a geological map of the Tasman Peninsula
Tasman Peninsula
Tasman Peninsula is located around by road south-east of Hobart, at the south east corner of Tasmania, Australia.-Description:The Tasman Peninsula lies south and west of Forestier Peninsula, to which it is connected by an isthmus called Eaglehawk Neck...
. He has also been credited as the first discoverer of gold in New South Wales, although his later attempts to seek reward for this failed. His artwork was also advertised and raffled, depicting scenes of the Australian landscape and its unique flora.
After Australia
After arriving in London he wrote The state of arts in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, the first review of art in Australia. Many of the scientific illustrations produced by Lhotsky, such as those of fishes, were thought to have been commissioned; the lithographs and other printed works credited to him were often derived from the sketches he received from convicts. Lhotsky also wrote a biographical sketch on Ferdinand BauerFerdinand Bauer
Ferdinand Lucas Bauer was an Austrian botanical illustrator who travelled on Matthew Flinders' expedition to Australia.-Biography:...
, whom he greatly admired, for the London Journal of Botany, and placed letters from Bauer, written on the Investigator expedition to Australia, with the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
. His sketch of the highly regarded botanical illustrator
Botanical illustrator
A botanical illustrator is a person who paints, sketches or otherwise illustrates botanical subjects such as trees and flowers. The job requires great artistic skill, attention to fine detail, and technical botanical knowledge...
was the earliest source of biographical information, the only one for a century after Bauer's death. After his arrival in London, Lhotsky continued to publish material on politics and social commentary, as he had in Vienna and Australia. He died at the Dalston German Hospital in London on November 23, 1866 in apparent dire poverty.
Lhotsky was variously appreciated or damned in the colonies. He was frequently published in local newspapers and, later, castigated in the same. His public disputes with officials led to his leaving New South Wales for Tasmania, then two years later for London. He published many articles on his discoveries and experience in Australia for a public eager for information on the colonies, but some of this was described as slanderous in the Sydney Gazette. He found critics in London too. Impey Murchison described him as the "mad Pole". Later commentators recognized the contribution of the scientist and that his failures were due to indiscretion with his monies and criticism.
The genus Lhotskia, of the family of fish Belonidae, was named for this author, as were the species of shrubs Lhotskya, later transferred to Calytrix
Calytrix
Calytrix is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae. They are commonly known as Starflowers.Calytrix are endemic to Australia, occurring in all of its states.Species include:...
.
Further reading
- Kruta, V., Dr John Lhotsky - the Turbulent Australian Writer, Naturalist & Explorer, 1972
- Clark, DymphnaDymphna ClarkHilma Dymphna Clark, née Lodewyckx , was a language scholar and married to the historian Manning Clark.Born in Melbourne, Australia, and of Scandinavian and Dutch ancestry, Clark was educated at Mont Albert Central School and the Presbyterian Ladies' College in East Melbourne...
, "Dr John Lhotsky Versus Baron von HugelCharles von HügelCharles von Hügel was an Austrian army officer, diplomat, botanist and explorer, now primarily remembered for his travels in northern India during the 1830s...
, 1834-1848", Journal of the Royal Australian Historical SocietyRoyal Australian Historical SocietyThe Royal Australian Historical Society is a voluntary organisation founded in Sydney, Australia in 1901 to encourage Australians to understand more about their history...
, 78 (3-4): 133-148, 1992