George French Angas (25 April 1822 – 4 October 1886), also known as G.F.A., was an English explorer,

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, painter and poet who emigrated to Australia. His paintings are held in a number of important Australian public art collections. He was the eldest son of

George Fife Angas George Fife Angas (1 May 1789 – 15 May 1879) was an English businessman and banker who, while residing in England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the British colonisation of South Australia, Province of South ...

, who was prominent in the early days of the

colonisation of South Australia British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield, ...

Biography

He was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, England, the eldest son of

, prominent in the establishment of the new colony of South Australia. Despite showing remarkable talent in drawing, he was placed in a London business house by his father. He left on a tour of Europe and in 1842 published his first book, ''Rambles in Malta and Sicily''. As a result of this experience, he turned his back on the world of commerce, and directed his training towards a study of natural history, anatomical drawing and lithography. Embarking on his travels, he was soon to find his acquired skills extremely useful. Angas painted some of the earliest views of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Arriving in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

in January 1844, he joined

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

on an expedition into the interior. He soon began an extensive series of journeys to the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

lakes,

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major list of wine-producing regions, wine-producin ...

Fleurieu Peninsula The Fleurieu Peninsula ( ; locally mainly ) is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. History Before British colonisation of South Australia, the western s ...

and the South East, presenting his impressions of the newly established colony – its inhabitants, landscape, and its flora and fauna (flowers, plants and stuff). Following a trip to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

he returned to South Australia in 1845 and travelled to

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a city on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. Known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngarla people, it is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, ...

. In the following year, 1846, he returned for a short while to England, accompanied by a young

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

man,

Hemi Pomara Hēmi Pōmare (born c. 1831; sometimes spelled Pomara) was a man of Māori people, Māori chiefly descent. He was taken to Sydney in the early 1840s, then London in 1845–46, was shipwrecked in Barbados while on a voyage, and then returned to Ne ...

, who was exhibited alongside Angas's paintings at the

Egyptian Hall The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...

in London. Angas' next journey in 1846 was to South Africa, where he spent two years in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

and the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

, working on a series of drawings and watercolours which were published in 1849 as ''The Kafirs Illustrated''. In this book were views of

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, Wynberg,

Genadendal Genadendal is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, built on the site of the oldest mission station in the country. It was originally known as Baviaanskloof, but was renamed Genadendal in 1806. Genadendal was the place of the firs ...

Paarl Paarl (; ; derived from ''parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a city with 294,457 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the largest city in the Boland, Western Cape, Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni ...

and

Somerset West Somerset West () is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality Eastern Suburbs zone (formerly called ...

, and plates depicting the local ethnic groups such as the

Khoikhoi Khoikhoi (Help:IPA/English, /ˈkɔɪkɔɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''KOY-koy'') (or Khoekhoe in Namibian orthography) are the traditionally Nomad, nomadic pastoralist Indigenous peoples, indigenous population of South Africa. They ...

(then referred to as Hottentots),

Cape Malays Cape Malays (, in Arabic script) also known as Cape Muslims or Malays, are a Muslim community or ethnic group in South Africa. They are the descendants of enslaved and free Muslims from different parts of the world, specifically Indonesia (a ...

and

Zulus Zulu people (; ) are a native people of Southern Africa of the Nguni. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. They originated from Nguni communities who took p ...

. Angas married Alicia Mary Moran in 1849, the marriage producing four daughters. In 1853 Angas was appointed to a position at the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

in Sydney, eventually becoming Director and staying a total of seven years. Angas was in Sydney when gold was first discovered near

Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Region, Bathurst Regional Council. Founded in 1815, Bathurst is ...

. Travelling there to record the gold diggings he executed a number of drawings of the scenes that he found. These were published in Sydney and subsequently in London. Angas was represented at the 1855 Paris exposition with five other Australian artists including

Conrad Martens Conrad Martens (21 March 1801 – 21 August 1878) was an English-born landscape painter active on second voyage of HMS Beagle, HMS ''Beagle'' from 1833 to 1834. He arrived in Australia in 1835 and painted there until his death in 1878. Life ...

, Frederick Terry and Adelaide Ironside, the first time Australian artists had been represented at a major overseas display. Angas returned to South Australia in 1860, and finally went back to England in 1863. Angas published several books on Australia and

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

as well as illustrating accounts of exploration by

John McDouall Stuart John McDouall Stuart (7 September 18155 June 1866), often referred to as simply "McDouall Stuart", was a Scottish explorer and one of the most accomplished of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to tra ...

and

John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in ...

, and contributed significantly to

conchology Conchology, from Ancient Greek κόγχος (''kónkhos''), meaning "cockle (bivalve), cockle", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of mollus ...

with his descriptions and illustrations.Angas, George French. 1864
''Description d'espèces nouvelles appartenant à plusieurs genres de Mollusques Nudibranches des environs de Port-Jackson (Nouvelle-Galles du Sud), accompagnée de dessins faits d'après nature.''
Journal de Conchyliologie, series 3, 12:43-70, pls. 4-6. Angas died in London on 8 October 1886. George French Angas03

Collections and legacy

The African antelope,

nyala The lowland nyala or simply nyala (''Tragelaphus angasii'') is a spiral-horned artiodactyl antelope native to Southern Africa. The species is part of the family Bovidae and the genus '' Tragelaphus'' (formerly placed in the genus ''Nyala''). It ...

(''Tragelaphus angasii''), was named ''angasii'' in his honour. Many of Angas's original watercolours are held in

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

, as well as in a number of South Australian institutions:

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

;

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

;

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultur ...

; and

Royal Geographical Society of South Australia The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia (RGSSA), is a voluntary, community-based learned society based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1885 to promote the advancement of all aspects of geographical science, the Society has 342 m ...

. The

State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...

has four letters written by Angas – the first is addressed to his publisher, Joseph Hogarth, and is dated 31 January 1848, requesting that two drawings be released to the lithographer James William Giles (1801–1870), and for an advance in payment. The second, dated 28 July 1849 discusses problems experienced by overseas subscribers in the delivery of ''Kafirs Illustrated''. The third letter instructs the publisher to send a plate from his sister's copy of ''Kafirs'' to the bookbinder, Mr Proudfoot, in George Street. The final, dated 10 February 1875 is addressed to

Stephen William Silver Stephen William Silver was born to Stephen Winckworth Silver and his wife, Frances Susan Adams, on 7 May 1817. He was a brother of Hugh Silver. They were London merchants, who took over running S. W. Silver and Co. from their father in 1846. He ...

(1819–1905), the London shipping merchant and book collector, and deals with matters relating to the Zoological Society and the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. From August to late November 2020, the

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research li ...

exhibited his 1848

folio The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for ...

''South Australia illustrated'', which is also available online.

Publications

''A Catalogue of paintings by George French Angas, illustrative of the natives and scenery of New Zealand and South Australia: also sketches in Brazil, Cape Verde Islands, New South Wales, &c. &c.'' (London?: s.n., 1846).

George French Angas, ''South Australia illustrated'' (London: Thomas M'Lean, 1847).

George French Angas, ''The New Zealanders illustrated'' (London: Thomas M'Lean, 1847).

George French Angas, ''The Kafirs illustrated in a series of drawings taken among the Amazulu, Amaponda and Amakosa tribes'' (London: J. Hogarth, 1849).

George French Angas, ''Six views of the gold field of Ophir, at Summerhill and Lewis Ponds Creeks'' (Sydney: Woolcott and Clarke, 1851).

George French Angas, ''Australia: a popular account of its physical features, inhabitants and productions, with the history of its colonization'' (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1865?).

George French Angas, ''Polynesia: a popular description of the physical features, inhabitants, natural history and productions of the islands of the Pacific. With an account of their discovery, and of the progress of civilization and christianity amongst them'' (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1866?).
*1846 ''South Australia'' *1847 ''Savage life and scenes in Australia and New Zealand : being an artist's impressions of countries and people at the antipodes'' (Lithographers Day & Haghe, Publishers Smith Elders & Co., Adelaide) *1849 ''The Kafirs Illustrated'' (London: Hogarth Press)''The Kafirs Illustrated''
Historical artwork, The Campbell Collections of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. *1849 ''Description of the Barossa Range and Its Neighbourhood in South Australia'' (Smith, Elder & Co., London) *186
''Description d'espèces nouvelles appartenant à plusieurs genres de Mollusques Nudibranches des environs de Port-Jackson (Nouvelle-Galles du Sud), accompagnée de dessins faits d'après nature.''
Journal de Conchyliologie, series 3, 12:43-70, pls. 4–6. *1874 ''The Wreck of the

Admella SS ''Admella'' was an Australian passenger steamship that was shipwrecked off the coast of the colony of South Australia in 1859. It broke up after striking a submerged reef near Cape Banks, off the coast near Carpenter Rocks, southwest of Mou ...

, and other Poems'', (Sampson Low, London).

Nudibranch molluscs described by Angas

Species of

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

described by Angas include: * '' Austraeolis ornata'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Baeolidia macleayi'' (Angas, 1864) * ''

Bornella hermanni ''Bornella'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically Dendronotida, dendronotid nudibranchs in the family Bornellidae. There has not been much research on this genus. Their biology is mostly unknown, except that they seem to feed exclusively on hyd ...

'' Angas, 1864 * '' Doriopsilla carneola'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Doris chrysoderma'' Angas, 1864 * '' Facelina newcombi'' (Angas, 1864) * ''

Goniobranchus daphne ''Goniobranchus daphne'' is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus daphne''.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05-02 ...

'' (Angas, 1864) * ''

Goniobranchus loringi ''Goniobranchus loringi'' is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus loringi''.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05- ...

'' (Angas, 1864) * ''

Goniobranchus splendidus ''Goniobranchus splendidus'' is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus splendidus''.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 20 ...

'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Hoplodoris nodulosa'' (Angas, 1864) * ''

Hypselodoris bennetti ''Hypselodoris bennetti'' is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Caballer, M.; Bouchet, P. (2015)''Hypselodoris bennetti''.In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World ...

'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Jorunna pantherina'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Kaloplocamus yatesi'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Madrella sanguinea'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Melibe australis'' Angas, 1864 * '' Mexichromis festiva'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Nembrotha edwardsi'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Paliolla cooki'' (Angas, 1864) * ''

Plocamopherus imperialis ''Plocamopherus imperialis'' is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae The Polyceridae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks within the ...

'' Angas, 1864 * ''

Pteraeolidia ianthina ''Pteraeolidia ianthina'' is a sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch in the family Facelinidae.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdes A. & Warén A. 2005. ''Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families''. Mala ...

'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Rostanga arbutus'' (Angas, 1864) * '' Thordisa verrucosa'' (Crosse in Angas, 1864)

References

External links