George Washington Lambert

George Washington Thomas Lambert (1873–1930) – Australian Artist

George Washington Thomas Lambert, commonly known as GW Lambert, was born on September 13, 1873, in St Petersburg, Russia. His father, an American railway engineer, died shortly before his birth. Along with his mother and three elder brothers, Lambert moved soon after his birth to live with relatives in Germany, and then to England where Lambert received his education at Kingston College, Yeovil, Somerset. The family decided to migrate and George, reaching Sydney with his mother and three sisters in the *Bengal* on January 20, 1887, settled at Eurbla, near Warren, a sheep station owned by his great-uncle Robert Firth. After eight months Lambert returned to Sydney to work as a clerk at W. and A. McArthur & Co., softgoods merchants, and later at the Shipping Master's Office from 1889 to 1891. During this time, he attended night classes conducted by Julian Ashton at the Art Society of New South Wales. Following a period working as a station-hand in the bush, Lambert developed a lasting affinity for horses and rural themes. Back in Sydney he met the illustrator B. E. Minns who advised him to consider becoming an artist and he returned to Ashton's classes, while working by day as a grocer’s assistant. Lambert excelled in his studies, and in 1899 won the Wynne Prize for landscape with one of his most important paintings, ‘Across the Black Soil Plains’. In 1900 Lambert was the recipient of the Society of Artists’ inaugural travelling art scholarship and married Amelia Beatrice (Amy) Absell, a retoucher, on September 4, 1900, at St Thomas Church, North Sydney. They soon moved to England, then to Paris in early 1901, where Lambert studied at Colarossi's art school and the Atelier Delécluze, alongside artist Hugh Ramsay. Influenced by seventeenth-century artists such as Rubens the rollicking and Vandyke the irreproachable, Velasquez, and such of his contemporaries as J. M. Whistler and John Singer Sargent whom he admired greatly, Lambert’s work from this period includes “The Sonnet” and “La Blanchisseuse.” Returning to London in November 1901, Lambert lived in various studios, including Rossetti Studios and 25 Glebe Place, Chelsea. His contributions included illustrations for Cassell's Magazine and the Pall Mall Magazine, and he supplemented his income by teaching at the London School of Art. He was a member of the Chelsea Arts Club, an associate of the New Salon, and a council member of the International Society of Painters and Gravers. Lambert’s early portraits, displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts, were noted for their sober palettes and sophisticated handling of tone and texture. Lambert's artistic career gained momentum during World War I. Unable to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force, he joined a Voluntary Training Corps and later became an official war artist with the honorary rank of lieutenant. His work included sketches and paintings of significant events, such as “The Charge of the Light Horse at Beersheba.” Despite health issues, his war art contributed significantly to the Australian War Memorial and the National Gallery of Victoria. Lambert continued to focus on portraiture after the war, producing notable works including “Mrs Murdoch,” which won the 1927 Archibald Prize. His portraits from the 1920s often reflect a growing disenchantment with this genre. Lambert also pursued sculpture, completing commissions for war memorials and statues, though his health was compromised by the physical demands of these projects. He died on May 29, 1930, at Cobbity, near Camden, and was buried in the Anglican section of South Head cemetery. His legacy includes his two sons: Maurice Lambert, a distinguished sculptor and Royal Academy associate, and Constant Lambert, a prominent composer and conductor. Lambert’s works, including “The Sonnet” and “La Blanchisseuse,” are housed in galleries across Australia.