Sir Daniel Cooper (1821–1902), merchant and philanthropist, came to Australia in 1843 and went into a mercantile business with his brother in law. He later took over the business, Cooper Bros, reputed to be ‘the most extensive mercantile house in the Australian colonies’. Cooper inherited further wealth and became a substantial landowner with properties around Sydney (including a £50,000 mansion at Point Piper) and stations in western New South Wales. He was a member of the first NSW Legislative Assembly in 1856 and was its first Speaker. He left Australia permanently for England in 1861.
Sir Leslie Ward, who signed his work ‘Spy’, was the most famous of the stable of caricaturists, including Sir Max Beerbohm and Carlo Pellegrini, who worked for the weekly English magazine Vanity Fair from 1869 to 1914. Ward drew nearly half of the 2387 caricatures published in Vanity Fair over the 45-year span of the magazine.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Ronald A Walker 2009. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Accession number: 2009.104
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Ronald Walker (23 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.
Ashleigh Wadman rediscovers the Australian characters represented with a kindly touch by the British portrait artist Leslie Ward for the society magazine Vanity Fair.
Explore portraiture and come face to face with Australian identity, history, culture, creativity and diversity.
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