Richard Godfrey Rivers
Encyclopedia
Richard Godfrey Rivers was an English
artist, active in Australia
and president of the Queensland Art Society from 1892-1901 and 1904-08.
Richard Godfrey Rivers was born in Plymouth
, England
, the son of Richard Rivers and Bertha nee Harris.
Rivers studied at the Slade School of Art (1877–83) in London under Professor Alphonse Legros
. He won a landscape painting prize there in 1883 and exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1884. Rivers emigrated to Australia in 1889 and taught at Katoomba College (along with Phil May). Rivers was second art master at Brisbane Technical College from 1890 to 1915; and was president of the Queensland Art Society from 1892–1901 and 1904–08. He was also honorary curator of the Queensland National Art Gallery from 1895 to 1914.
On 25 Sept 1901, Richard Godfrey Rivers married Selina Jane nee Bell at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
. They had a son (also named Richard Godfrey) in 1907 but he died in 1912 and was buried in Toowong Cemetery
.
In 1903, Rivers painted a picture "Under the Jacaranda", which has been described as "quintessentially Brisbane
". The painting of Rivers and his wife Selina taking tea under the shade of Australia's first jacaranda tree planted in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
beside the Brisbane Technical College by the garden's first curator Walter Hill
. The woman in the painting is often described as his future wife Miss Selina Bell, despite the couple marrying in 1901, although it is possible that an earlier version of the work preceded their marriage. The painting is part of the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery
.
Rivers established a local reputation as a portrait painter, and portraits by him of Sir Samuel Griffith
and others hang in the supreme court at Brisbane. He also taught at the Brisbane High School for Girls and at Brisbane Girls Grammar School
. He moved to Hobart
, Tasmania
in 1915 and tried to raise interest in the Hobart gallery.
Rivers died of typhoid fever in London
, England
on 4 February 1925. He was cremated and his ashes buried in his son's grave in Toowong Cemetery
, Brisbane
. His wife Selina died in 1948 in Hobart
, Tasmania
. She was cremated there and her ashes were also buried in their son's grave in Toowong Cemetery
.
Examples of Rivers' outdoor work are in the national galleries at Sydney and Brisbane.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist, active in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and president of the Queensland Art Society from 1892-1901 and 1904-08.
Richard Godfrey Rivers was born in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of Richard Rivers and Bertha nee Harris.
Rivers studied at the Slade School of Art (1877–83) in London under Professor Alphonse Legros
Alphonse Legros
Alphonse Legros , painter, etcher and sculptor was born in Dijon. His father was an accountant, and came from the neighbouring village of Véronnes....
. He won a landscape painting prize there in 1883 and exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in 1884. Rivers emigrated to Australia in 1889 and taught at Katoomba College (along with Phil May). Rivers was second art master at Brisbane Technical College from 1890 to 1915; and was president of the Queensland Art Society from 1892–1901 and 1904–08. He was also honorary curator of the Queensland National Art Gallery from 1895 to 1914.
On 25 Sept 1901, Richard Godfrey Rivers married Selina Jane nee Bell at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
St John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Brisbane and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia...
. They had a son (also named Richard Godfrey) in 1907 but he died in 1912 and was buried in Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
.
In 1903, Rivers painted a picture "Under the Jacaranda", which has been described as "quintessentially Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
". The painting of Rivers and his wife Selina taking tea under the shade of Australia's first jacaranda tree planted in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
The City Botanic Gardens is located on a point known as Gardens Point on the Brisbane River adjacent to the central business district of the city of Brisbane...
beside the Brisbane Technical College by the garden's first curator Walter Hill
Walter Hill (garden curator)
Walter Hill was the first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, located at Gardens Point, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Personal life:...
. The woman in the painting is often described as his future wife Miss Selina Bell, despite the couple marrying in 1901, although it is possible that an earlier version of the work preceded their marriage. The painting is part of the collection of the Queensland Art Gallery
Queensland Art Gallery
The Queensland Art Gallery is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre, and is located nearest to Brisbane River at South Bank...
.
Rivers established a local reputation as a portrait painter, and portraits by him of Sir Samuel Griffith
Samuel Griffith
Sir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
and others hang in the supreme court at Brisbane. He also taught at the Brisbane High School for Girls and at Brisbane Girls Grammar School
Brisbane Girls Grammar School
Brisbane Girls' Grammar School, is an independent, secular, day school for girls, located in Spring Hill, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
. He moved to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, 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...
in 1915 and tried to raise interest in the Hobart gallery.
Rivers died of typhoid fever in 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 4 February 1925. He was cremated and his ashes buried in his son's grave in Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. His wife Selina died in 1948 in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, 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...
. She was cremated there and her ashes were also buried in their son's grave in Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
.
Examples of Rivers' outdoor work are in the national galleries at Sydney and Brisbane.
External links
- Rivers Richard Godfrey — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search