Montague Scott

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Montague Scott (1835–1909), also known as Montagu Scott, was a London-born artist, photographer and cartoonist who emigrated to Australia in 1855. He settled in Melbourne, learned to color photographs, and studied painting before moving to Sydney in 1866. There he took over Freeman Brothers’ studio and ran the Sydney and Melbourne Photographic Gallery.

In 1868 he served as the official photographer for Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, during the duke’s visit to Sydney. He was commissioned by Henry Parkes to paint a full-size portrait of the Duke, and photographs of the duke were sold to the public. By about 1870 his business failed and the studio was taken over by Newman & Co.

Scott was a prolific lithographer and cartoonist. He produced drawings for newspapers, became the first artist for the Sydney Mail in 1871, and created lithographs commemorating events such as the New South Wales Contingent’s return from the Sudan. He drew caricatures for Melbourne Punch and Sydney Punch, including portraits of Archbishop Polding and Edward Deas-Thomson, and contributed to the Australian Town and Country Journal. He also painted portraits, including Richard Driver, S. Hoffnung, Archbishop Polding and John Deery, and later focused on equine portraits. He made dioramas, illustrated books and even acted on stage.

In 1887 he moved to Brisbane to work as an illustrator for the Brisbane Worker and the Boomerang, then returned to Sydney around 1895. As photography displaced etching, his work declined and he was bankrupt again by 1908.

Family life and death: He married Amy Ann Johnson in 1857; they had three children. After Amy’s death, he married Annie Ware Wilton in 1880 and later Mary Ellen Price in 1889. He died at Randwick, New South Wales, on 15 May 1909, bankrupt and stone deaf.

Selected works and legacy: Montague Scott painted notable portraits (including the Duke of Edinburgh) and produced iconic images such as A Day’s Picnic on Clark Island, Sydney Harbour (1870). His career is documented in sources like the Australian Dictionary of Biography and he has works listed on Project Gutenberg.