LYCETT, Joseph (17?-18?)

artist

was transported to Australia about the year 1810 for forgery. While employed in the police office at Sydney he again committed forgery and was sent to Newcastle. There he painted an altar piece for the church, and on the recommendation of Captain Wallis, the commandant, was given a conditional pardon. He returned to Sydney, was allowed to practise his art, and in 1820 Governor Macquarie (q.v.) sent three of his paintings to Earl Bathurst. Lycett also visited Tasmania and did some painting there. He appears to have received a pardon, and returned to England about the end of 1822. Between July 1824 and June 1825 he issued Views in Australia, or New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land in 13 parts. These views were reissued in a volume in 1825. The 50 plates are coloured in some copies and plain in others. Nothing more is definitely known about Lycett. A manuscript note in a copy of his Views at the Mitchell library states that after its publication he lived in the west of England, got into trouble again, and committed suicide. There is a water-colour view of Sydney by him in the William Dixson gallery at the Mitchell library, and a "Panoramic View", 1825, of Hobart, was engraved by G. Scharf. Probably this date should be 1822 or 1823.

Sir W. Dixson, Journal and Proceedings Royal Australian Historical Society, vol. V, p. 242; practically this is the only source of information about Lycett apart from references on pp. 291 and 823 in vol. X, Historical Records of Australia, ser. I; W. Moore, The Story of Australian Art; J. A. Ferguson, Bibliography of Australia.