Researching William Strutt

William Strutt RBA, FZS (3 July 1825 – 3 January 1915) was an English artist.

Strutt was born in Teignmouth, Devon, England, and came from a family of artists. His grandfather, Joseph Strutt, was a well-known author and artist, his father, William Thomas Strutt, was a good miniature painter. William Strutt enjoyed a student life in Paris, France, and England, studying figurative and history painting. In response to a near-breakdown and problems with his eyes, Strutt decided to visit Australia, arriving 5 July 1850 on the Culloden, where he then married.

In Melbourne, Strutt found employment as an illustrator on the short-lived Illustrated Australian Magazine, published by Thomas Ham, as there was little demand for the figurative and history paintings for which he was trained. Some of his designs did, however, lead to commissions, including a design for a new postage stamp, and an Anti-Transportation League card. Despite the lack of interest for major history paintings in Melbourne, Strutt continued to sketch suitable subjects, including the 'Black Thursday' bushfires, which swept over the colony on 6 February 1851. It was from these sketches that Strutt composed one of his most notable paintings some 10 years later, Black Thursday, 6 February. 1851, 1864, which depicted animals and men fleeing from the fire.

In February 1852, Strutt joined the growing tide of men travelling to the gold-fields surrounding Ballarat, Victoria. Despite working in the gold fields for eighteen months he found little success. He returned to Melbourne in mid-1853 and became actively involved in the city's cultural scene, undertaking a number of portrait commissions and joining the Victorian Society of Fine Arts – which in 1856 became the Victorian Artists Society – as a founding member.

Strutt's interest in depicting the notable events of the colony was piqued by the events surrounding the Victorian Exploring Expedition led by Burke and Wills in 1860–61. He made several studies of their preparations at Royal Park, Melbourne, and followed the expedition to its first camp at Essendon, Victoria. Strutt also collected first-hand accounts from the rescue party and from John King, the expedition's sole survivor, upon his return.

Strutt left the colony of Victoria in 1862. A highly religious man, he dreaded bringing up his children in what he perceived to be a godless society. Returning to England where he completed two major works based on Australian sketches, Black Thursday, 6 February 1851 and Bushrangers, Victoria, Australia, 1852. He continued to draw on his Australian sketches to produce major oil paintings, including The Burial of Burke. In 1861, he painted imagined scenes from the First Taranaki War based on sketches that he made during him time in New Zealand from 1855 to 1856. The painting View of Mt Egmont, Taranaki, New Zealand, taken from New Plymouth, with Maoris driving off settlers' cattle, was purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in 2015 from the John Lawford Collection for NZ$1.5 million; it is the only significant oil painting from the 1850s or 1860s held by New Zealand's national museum.

William Strutt died in Wadhurst, Sussex, England on 3 January 1915.

Strutt was baptised at Springfield, Essex, on 26 February 1762, the second son of John Strutt, of Terling Place, Essex, by Anne, daughter of the Rev. William Goodday of Maldon. Entering the army in 1778, he joined his regiment, the 61st, at Minorca. Later he was appointed to a company in the 91st, and took part in the defence of St. Lucia. In 1782, having exchanged into the 97th, he served at the siege of Gibraltar. On the signing of the preliminaries of peace he purchased a majority in the 60th regiment, and, being placed on half-pay, visited several German courts. In 1787 he was sent with his regiment to the West Indies, where he took an active part in military affairs. Succeeding to a lieutenant-colonelcy by special command of George III, he was removed to the 54th, and went with the army of Lord Moira to Flanders. In 1794 he bore a very distinguished part against the French at Tiel, going through much hard fighting. On his return he was sent to St. Vincent, where he was raised to the rank of brigadier-general. In January 1796, with two hundred men, he attacked a force of twelve hundred, being himself thrice wounded, and losing his right leg. On his return to England he was received with marked favour by the king, and on 23 February 1796 was made deputy governor of Stirling Castle, afterwards serving upon the staff in Ireland. On 23 June 1798 he was raised to the rank of major-general, and on 13 May 1800 he was, as a reward for his services, appointed to the sinecure office of governor of Quebec, and he held that post until his death. He died at Tofts, Little Baddow, Essex, on 5 February 1848, having seen an exceptional amount of military service, both at home and abroad.