Caroline Le Souef

Caroline Le Souef
Home Life of the Victorian Aborigines, 1895
Born15 July 1834
Barnstaple, Devon
Died6 March 1915(1915-03-06) (aged 80)
Royal Park, Victoria
Resting placeMelbourne General Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Spouse(s)Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souëf, 1853–1902 (his death)
Children4 sons, 5 daughters

Caroline Le Souef (15 July 1834 – 6 March 1915) was an Australian artist who was born in England in 1834 to John Cotton.[1] As a child, she migrated to Australia with her family in 1843,[2] living in Goulburn River Valley, and was educated in Melbourne, Victoria. She married Albert Alexander Cochrane Le Souëf[3][4] in 1853. Caroline would provide sketches and artworks to complement the work of Albert Le Souef during their time in the Goulburn River Valley when the treatment of Aboriginal people was conducted under a Protectorat, with Albert taking an active role. Albert and Caroline would document the customs of the local Aboriginal people during this time.

After Albert was appointed foundation director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens in 1880, the pair toured Europe, and she has a number of sketches attributed to the collection of specimens around this time. Later in life, Le Souef made a series of oil paintings depicting Aboriginal life.

Her husband predeceased her in 1902.[5] She died in 1915 and is buried in Melbourne General Cemetery. Her grave is listed as a notable figure in the cemetery.

  1. ^ Cotton, John (1802–1849). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University – via Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  2. ^ "Caroline Le Souëf :: biography at :: at Design and Art Australia Online". www.daao.org.au.
  3. ^ McEvey, Allan. Cultural Advice. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University – via Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  4. ^ "Family Notices". 10 August 1853. p. 4 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "Death of Mr. A. A. Le Souef". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 17, 416. Victoria, Australia. 8 May 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 12 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.