Shakespeare to Winehouse open 9:00am–7:00pm on Thu, Fri, Sat from 7 July
William McLellan (1831–1906), miner and parliamentarian, served on the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1859 to 1877, and again between 1883 and 1897. A native of Perthshire, Scotland, McLellan had trained as a carpenter before coming to Melbourne in 1850. He joined the exodus to the goldfields in 1851, prospecting at various sites in Victoria and New South Wales. Elected to Parliament in 1859 as the member for Ararat, he gained a reputation as a radical, speaking out against squatters’ stranglehold on land and advocating universal male suffrage. He was Commissioner of Public Works in James Macpherson’s government, and served as Minister for Mines under Charles Gavan Duffy and James McCulloch (both Macpherson and McCulloch, incidentally, are represented in this group of proposed acquisitions). Ironically nicknamed ‘The Dove of Ararat’, McLellan’s radical leanings diminished with age and accumulated mining-related wealth.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2016
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 on Tom Durkin playing with Melbourne's manhood.
Visit us, learn with us, support us or work with us! Here’s a range of information about planning your visit, our history and more!