Sophia Campbell née Palmer (1777–1833) was an early

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n settler. One of eight children, Sophia Palmer was born in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and educated in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She came to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

with her naval officer brother John Palmer (1760–1833) and his family, a second unmarried naval officer brother Christopher Palmer (1767–1821), and her unmarried sister Sarah Sophia Palmer (1774–?) on board the ''Porpoise'' in November 1800. Her brother John Palmer was bringing his family to settle permanently in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, and had previously come to Sydney in 1788 as

Purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

on the ''Sirius'', the flagship of the

First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...

. He had also been

Commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

General of

from 1791 to 1811, remaining employed in the Commissariat until he retired in 1819; and he was a magistrate from 1793. Colonial Secretary Index Sophia first settled on John Palmer's 100 acres (40 ha) 1793 grant which he named

Woolloomooloo Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1.5 kilometres east of the central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a low-lying, former dockla ...

Farm. Within a year, on 17 September 1801, Sophia married the merchant Robert Campbell, a Scottish Presbyterian eight years her senior, in

St Philip's Church, Sydney St Philip's Church, Sydney, is the oldest Anglican church parish in Australia. The church is located in the Sydney city centre between York Street, Clarence and Jamison Streets on a location known as Church Hill. It is one of two churches in t ...

. Sophia moved to Wharf House, her husband Robert Campbell’s home behind his wharves on the west side of

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...

. Apart from two trips to England (in 1805–06 and 1810–1815) and shorter journeys to various parts of

, she lived in Sydney until her death. Sophia was until 2009 identified by Professor Joan Kerr, Clifford Burmester and others as an artist who produced two sketchbooks, one held at the National Library of Australia and one held at the State Library of New South Wales. These sketchbooks were re-attributed in May 2009 to Edward Charles Close. This re-attribution removed any evidence that Sophia was an artist. Sophia died in 1833 and was buried in St John’s Cemetery,

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

References

*Clifford Amandus Burmester, National Library of Australia. Guide to the Collections, Volume 1. National Library of Australia, Canberra 1974 *Joan Kerr, The Dictionary of Australian Artists, Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers to 1970. Oxford University Press Australia 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Sophia Australian painters 1777 births 1833 deaths Australian women painters Colony of New South Wales people