The portrait was commissioned after Higinbotham's death in 1893. A committee was appointed to investigate the making of a portrait and they appointed Mr L Bernard Hall, instructor and later director of the National Gallery of Victoria. George Higinbotham (1826-1892) had a distinguished career as a newspaper editor and politican before becoming a Judge of the Supreme Court in 1880 and the third Chief Justice in 1886. Higinbotham was a long serving attorney-general in the 1860s colonial administration. Higinbotham was active in the education, land and constitutional debates of his time. He played a prominent role through his chairmanship of the of the Royal Commission into Public Instruction with regard to the introduction of the free and secular primary school education.The portrait of George Higinbotham is of historic significance as the depiction of an important public figure in 19th Century Victoria. The painting is also of interest as an early example of L Bernard Hall's Australian works. Portrait in Oils of George Higinbotham. Higinbotham is seated at his desk, pen in hand. He is dressed in his judicial robes, ready for Court.Signed Lower right B Hall 95. Plaque on frame : The Hon. George Higinbotham Judge of the Supreme Court 1880-1886 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 1866-1892supreme court, higinbotham george, hall bernard

The portrait was commissioned in 1884, near the end of Molesworth's term of office. The portrait was commissioned at the same time as those of Redmond Barry and Chief Justice Stawell. Robert Molesworth, like his contemporaries, Stawell and Barry, went to Trinity College, Dublin, and practiced at the Irish Bar before migrating to Australia in 1852. Molesworth quickly gained a large practice at the Bar. In 1853 he was acting Chief Justice and he later served as Solicitor-General in the early Victorian colonial administrations. Molesworth was appointed to the bench in 1856. He primarily worked in the Equity area, but his main contribution to Colonial administration was as the Chief Judge of the Court of Mines, establishing the basis of mining law in Australia.The portrait of Molesworth is significant because of whom it portrays and is the only known portrait of Molesworth.Full length portrait in oils of Sir Robert Molesworth. He is seated at a desk and dressed in Judicial robes. The frame is of 20th century originSigned with monogram and dated 1885 lower left. Plaque identifies sitter as The Hon. Sir Robert Molesworth Judge of the Supreme Court. 1856-1886courts, molesworth robert, a beckett edward