WB Gould’s Sketchbook of Fishes

William Buelow Gould (c. 1803–1853) was born in Liverpool, England. In 1827 he was convicted of theft and sentenced to seven years transportation to Van Dieman’s Land, halfway around the world.

In Hobart, he was assigned as a servant to Dr James Scott, a keen naturalist, and soon gained attention for his botanical watercolours. But plagued by an addiction to alcohol, Gould continued to offend and in 1832 was sent to the dreaded Sarah Island penal colony at Macquarie Harbour on the remote west coast.

Compared to most convicts sent to this harsh prison, Gould had a relatively easy life as servant to medical officer and amateur marine naturalist Dr William de Little, who encouraged his artistic pursuits. 

During his nine months at Macquarie Harbour, Gould painted Indigenous portraits, a view of the penal colony, and his most accomplished and best-known work, a sketchbook of 36 idiosyncratic, delicate watercolour studies of fish and shellfish collected from around the harbour.

Now in the collection of the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, Hobart, in 2011 the sketchbook was added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register in recognition of its world significance. This small sketchbook measures 18.5 x 22.7 cm. 

After being issued with his certificate of freedom in 1835, Gould returned to Hobart. Now with a family to support, he made a living painting saleable flowers and still life arrangements in the Dutch manner. However, he continued to drink, and in 1846 was convicted of theft and sentenced to two years hard labour.  On 11 December 1853, after a life of hardship and alcoholism, Gould died at his home in Macquarie Street, Hobart, not long after his 50th birthday. 

Identification of fish is from numbered list accompanying the sketchbook. The sketchbook includes the first representations of many Tasmanian fish species and continues to be a vital resource for scientists interested in Tasmanian ecology.