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  "description": "By Josie Bull",
  "path": "/the-convict-artist-joseph-lycett/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-23T07:26:46.000Z",
  "site": "https://paperchained.com",
  "textContent": "_By Josie Bull. Published in Issue 22 of Paper Chained._\n\nJoseph Lycett is a renowned artist of colonial times, most famously for his paintings of Australian landscapes. He was born around 1774 in Staffordshire, England. Professionally trained as a portrait and miniature painter, he was also known to be a skilled botanical artist, sketcher, and engraver.\n\n __The Sugar Loaf Mountain by Joseph Lycett__\n\nAround 1810, Joseph Lycett and his de facto wife, Mary Stokes, were arrested in London, charged with possessing forgery tools and incomplete banknotes, and were held in jail for several months awaiting trial. In early 19th-century England, forgery was a very common crime and harshly punished. Banknotes were easy to copy, and for skilled engravers like Lycett, it offered a tempting way to make money. Counterfeiting was not an impulsive crime; it took planning, technical expertise, and access to specialised tools. Today, criminologists would likely place Lycett in the ‘white-collar’ category: a skilled person driven by profit, not violence.\n\nAt the August 1811 trial, Mary was found innocent and released, while Joseph, then aged 37, received a 14-year transportation sentence to New South Wales. Transportation was a key part of Britain’s approach to punishment at this time. It served a double purpose: exile as punishment, and cheap labour to grow the empire. Lycett remained incarcerated in England for two years before arriving in Sydney around 1814. He was originally employed by the colony officials as a painter and clerk. But less than a year into his sentence, he was caught producing forged five-shilling bills using a hidden copper-plate press. This second offence led to a 3-year transfer to Newcastle, a secondary penal settlement for convicts who had re-offended, meaning harsher regulations and conditions.\n\n__Lycett’s illustration of Wallis’ Christ Church Cathedral__\n\nIn Newcastle, Lycett’s convict experience was far from typical. Under the command of Captain James Wallis, Lycett was given opportunities to paint, design, and contribute to civic projects. It is clear Wallis could recognise his artistic gifts. Lycett helped draw the plans for Newcastle Cathedral, which was built around 1818, and he is credited with painting the church’s altar piece. It is also believed Lycett designed the stained three-light window, which can still be seen in the bishop’s vestry of Newcastle Cathedral today.\n\nLycett’s work on the cathedral aligns with modern theories of rehabilitation through purposeful engagement and identification of individual talents. His artistic output during imprisonment challenges the notion of total penal control. His art gave him agency, a way to express his perspective and contribute meaningfully. Lycett not only worked on civil projects; he also documented landscapes, Aboriginal ceremonies, and colonial life. “Corroboree at Newcastle” is thought to be the earliest oil painting of an Aboriginal night ceremony, giving a rare glimpse into Indigenous culture at the time. Lycett’s work still holds relevance for those exploring Indigenous connection to land during colonial times, through a European lens, offering a rare perspective into the lives of the Awabakal people in early 19th-century Newcastle. His watercolour paintings have become distinctive images of the colonial Newcastle, depicting landscapes, homesteads, botanicals, and Indigenous peoples. These pieces were curated into a now-famous album, _Original Drawings of the Natives and Scenery of Van Diemen’s Land_.\n\nWallis’s support and advocacy led to a conditional pardon for Lycett in 1818. When he returned to Sydney in 1819, his artistic career took off. He was commissioned to do many private works across NSW and Tasmania.\n\nGovernor Macquarie even sent his art to Lord Bathurst, who served in Lord Liverpool’s ministry as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1812 to 1827. Macquarie’s backing is believed to have helped Lycett secure an absolute pardon in 1821, which is interpreted as an acknowledgment of his artistic promise.\n\nLycett’s rare pardons highlight the value of recognising artistic talent in supporting criminal reintegration into society. Lycett returned to England in 1822 and published _Views in Australia_ (released between 1824 and 1825), a twelve-part series featuring forty-nine aquatint engravings and etchings. Aquatint is a printmaking technique where acid helps create soft, watercolour-like tones (had to look that up too, very cool). Some prints were hand-coloured, others left plain, and each came with maps and handwritten notes. They remain as some of the most important visual records of colonial Australia. Lycett used the series to show off the beautiful landscapes of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land, highlighting the expanding colonies’ potential and appeal, in a shift toward free-settler societies. His work could be interpreted as an attempt to spark British interest in emigration and attract investment to the developing settlements.\n\nLycett’s final years are unclear; there are no solid records leading up to his death. But it is believed he came into substantial money after publishing his work in England. Although unconfirmed, some believe Lycett may have struggled with alcoholism. He was later suspected by authorities of forging banknotes once again, and when officials attempted to arrest him, he reportedly tried to take his own life. Despite being taken to hospital, he did not recover from his self-inflicted injuries. Lycett’s story is a reminder that even with talent and second chances, rehabilitation is rarely straightforward, especially without proper support.\n\nJoseph Lycett’s work has left a lasting mark on history. His pieces are currently held in major institutions like the National Library of Australia, the State Library of New South Wales, and the British Museum. His landscapes are often referenced in studies and exhibitions of colonial art, Aboriginal representation, and environmental history. His art assisted in reshaping European views of Australia, presenting it as lush and inviting, rather than infertile and empty. His work offers some of the only portrayals of Awabakal peoples’ everyday life in colonial times.\n\nLycett’s story shows that when natural talent is recognised and supported, it can lead to meaningful contribution and potential reintegration into society. It raises big questions about how artistic expression can soften punishment and assist in rehabilitation within the penal system. His life offers deeper lessons and questions on crime, punishment, and redemption. With the right support and direction after his release from custody, Lycett might have fully reintegrated into society. Even with his struggles, Lycett has left behind a legacy that continues to shape Australia’s visual history.\n\n __Joseph Lycett’s painting of a corroboree in Newcastle. According to Miromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre, a Indigenous not-for-profit organisation in Newcastle, Lycett’s depictions of individuals in this painting is historically accurate, though the various events seen in the painting would not have occurred at the same time. From an artistic perspective, it is understandable Lycett would have chosen to combine events from an entire corroboree in a single painting.__",
  "title": "The Convict Artist: Joseph Lycett",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-23T07:27:32.276Z"
}