George Lambert

'Self Portrait with Gladioli'

An examination of the life and times of George Lambert through the gesture and pose in his self portrait.

George Lambert portrait story. Video length: 1 minute

Images Courtesy: Australian War Memorial

Balcony of troopers' ward, 14th Australian General Hospital, Egypt, 1919 by George Lambert (ART02815)

The charge of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade at the Nek, 7 August 1915 1924 by George Lambert (ART07965)

Australian official war artists 1916-1918, Australia: Victoria, 1920 by George Coates (ART15334)

Australian official war artists, Australia: Victoria, c.1920 by George Coates (ART50017)

The trooper and the maid, United Kingdom: England 1919 by George Lambert (ART92815)

Captain George W Lambert, Official Artist, sketching. Ruined buildings are in the foreground by Oswald (Ossie) Hillam Coulson, 1918

George Lambert with Horse by George Hubert Wilkins, 1919

Captain George W Lambert, Official Artist, sketching by Oswald (Ossie) Hillam Coulson, 1918

Anzac, from Gaba Tepe by George Lambert, 1919

Arthur Streeton by George Lambert, 1917

Charles E W Bean portrait by George Lambert, 1924

Anzacs Bathing by the Sea, date unknown by George Lambert

Video transcript

Narrator: What I have pointed at is this: there is grace in sadness, and a truth touched in desperate battle against the Turks, always vigour, mobility in action.

I wave away the idea of waste. I grip the hero by turns energetic and refined. A brotherhood where I proudly posed on the hip, feeling confident in my purpose with pencil, paintbrush, pipe in mouth.

My purpose in war and peace has been to wave acknowledgement of man as civilised, feeling, worthy.

I am George Lambert’s hand.