The First House in Ballarat

The First House in Ballarat 1852
Pen and Ink
14 x 22cm
Royal Historical Society of Victoria
Melbourne

Meek identified the date of the house and drawing as 1852. An incorrect date has been added to the work. Meek’s sketches are among the earliest made on the goldfields and only two survive. This 1852 drawing of the first house in Ballarat depicted his own dwelling. Over the years he repeated the image, out of nostalgia for the early days, and to proclaim his part in the city’s beginnings. Forty years later he reworked this subject for a commission in oils by young artist George Grant. His other surviving sketch from 1852 is of Ballarat’s Police Camp.

The First House in Ballarat 1852 pen and ink 14 x 22cm Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Melbourne Note: Meek identified the date of the house and drawing as 1852. An incorrect date has been added to the work. Meek’s sketches are among the earliest made on the goldfields and only two survive. This 1852 drawing of the first house in Ballarat depicted his own dwelling. Over the years he repeated the image, out of nostalgia for the early days, and to proclaim his part in the city’s beginnings. Forty years later he reworked this subject for a commission in oils by young artist George Grant. His other surviving sketch from 1852 is of Ballarat’s Police Camp on p.15.