Historical information

This is a photograph of a painting by the noted artist George Webb (1861-1949). Webb was best known for his portraits of civic dignitaries in Melbourne and Adelaide but he also produced many landscapes and seascapes. Some of these feature Warrnambool landmarks as he married, in the late 1890s, Christina Lake, the step-daughter of George Rolfe who owned the property known as ‘Lyndoch’, near the mouth of the Hopkins River. Webb painted the early cottages at ‘Old Lyndoch’ using a photograph taken some time earlier. The painting was given to Dick Allan, the chauffeur in the employ of Florence Lake, Christina’s sister. Florence Lake owned and resided at Lyndoch after her parents’ death. Dick Allan’s son, living in Tasmania, acquired the painting and Les O’Callaghan obtained the photograph of the painting from him.

Significance

Although this is only a photograph of an original painting, it is of some considerable importance as the painting has great historical significance and this is the only representation we have of it. The man in the photograph represents George Rolfe and the story of Rolfe and his ownership and development of the property of Lyndoch is an important one in Warrnambool’s history. The original by George Webb is also an important work of art in its own right.

Physical description

This is a colour photograph of a painting. The frame of the original painting can be seen at the bottom of the photograph. The photograph is in on old frame which has two wooden edgings with the outer one having an ornate gold plaster edging and an inner one with a gold velvet insert next to the glass. The ornate gold plaster has a piece missing near the top left hand corner. The photograph is set into a gold-coloured wooden frame inside the glass. The photograph is mounted onto cardboard and covered with cardboard at the back with a small piece of wood attached (from the original frame). The backing is nailed on.