William Westall (1781-1850)

Westall sketches on the website: Sandy Peninsula; Keppel Bay; Aboriginal at Keppel Bay; another Aboriginal at Keppel Bay; Cape Manifold; Harvey's Isles; Cape Clinton; Port Bowen; Murray's Isles (29 Oct); Murray's Isles (30 Oct) William Westall was only 19 years of age, and studying at the Royal Academy School, when he was selected as the landscape and figure painter on the Investigator. During the voyage he made a large number of pencil and pencil-and-wash landscapes, a series of coast profiles in pencil, and many portraits of Aboriginals. His sketches were partly destroyed when the Porpoise ran aground on Wreck Reef. Westall contributed nine plates for Flinders' official account of the voyage, which were also published separately as "Views of Australian Scenery" (1814). Westall was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1812 and showed 70 pictures at its exhibitions between 1801 and 1849.

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