Alice Simpson, née Want was one of nine children of Randolph and Harriette Want, who married in Sydney in 1839. Randolph Want (1811-1869), a solicitor, arrived in Australia in the late 1820s and served in the first Legislative Assembly of New South Wales. Alice married grazier Robert Percy Simpson in Sydney in 1857. Their eldest son, Edward Percy Simpson, was born in 1858 and followed two of his uncles into the legal profession, establishing the tradition followed by three generations of men in the Simpson family.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the Simpson family in memory of Caroline Simpson OAM 2008
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
Emily Simpson (6 portraits)
Louise Dobson (6 portraits)
Alice Simpson (6 portraits)
Edward Simpson (6 portraits)
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
Joanna Gilmour writes about the portraiture of the colonial artist William Nicholas.
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