Lionel Lindsay was the brother of Norman, Percy, Daryl and Ruby Lindsay and shared with his siblings an early obsession with drawing and printmaking. A contributor to the great era of Australian 'black & white' art that developed around the turn of the twentieth century, he created illustrations for publications such as the Bulletin. Writer Henry Lawson (1867–1922) became a regular contributor to the Bulletin in the 1890s, and Lindsay would encounter him frequently in pubs around the Bulletin office, in bookshops, and on the ferry. He drew Lawson often. 'He was a splendid sitter,' Lindsay wrote, 'and seemed rather to like putting in time this way. But I have no recollections of our conversation; though I remember his excitement about an illustration I had made for one of his stories. He swore I must have seen the character drawn as it was his breathing image. I told him that his description was so good that I couldn't have missed him. But he remained unconvinced.'
Purchased 2010
© National Library of Australia
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves.
Sarah Engledow ponders the divergent legacies of Messrs Kendall and Lawson.
A visual exploration of themes depicted in 'The Jester' by Lionel Lindsay.
