Harold Parker

Harold Parker (27 August 1873 – 23 April 1962) was a British-born sculptor, raised in Queensland, Australia, and subsequently worked in the United Kingdom.

For the Australian rules footballer, see Harold Parker (footballer). For other uses, see Harold Parker (disambiguation).

My friend Harold Parker by James Quinn, c. 1907. Oil on canvas on board, 35.5 x 31 cm., in the collection of the National Library of Australia

Early life

Harold Parker was born in 1873 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England.[1] His family moved to Brisbane, Australia in 1876.

Artistic career

He studied at the Brisbane Technical College under John A Clarke and Godfrey Rivers, then in 1896 left for London where he studied under William Silver Frith, then worked as assistant to Thomas Brock, Hamo Thornycroft and Goscombe John.[2]

He rented a studio near that of fellow sculptor John Tweed, and from 1903 to 1929 regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, and occasionally at the Old Salon, Paris. He was commissioned to portray Queensland expatriates and became a rival of Bertram Mackennal. In 1906 he was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. The triumph of his career came in 1908 when for £1000 the Chantrey Bequest purchased his 'Ariadne' for the Tate Gallery. In 1910 his 'Prometheus Bound' received a 'mention' at the Salon.[2]

In March 1911 at St James' Church Sussex Gardens in Paddington, London, he was married to Janet Robinson, the daughter of Major Sir Thomas B. Robinson, then the Agent-General for Queensland in London.[3]

The First Breath of Spring, circa 1913, held by the Queensland Art Gallery
The Prosperity of Australia, Australia House, London, by Parker (1915–1918)

In 1911 the newly married Harold Parker visited Brisbane and was received enthusiastically, but apart from his First Breath of Spring to the Queensland National Art Gallery, sold none of his work. Back in London he received a major commission, two groups of figures outside Australia House: The Prosperity of Australia and The Awakening of Australia.

In 1929 his work was being shown at Paris Salon, the Royal Academy, and the Royal Scottish Academy.[4]

In 1930 he and his wife settled in Brisbane where, overlooked for major commissions, he withdrew from public life, virtually abandoning sculpture for painting. He did, however, submit a number of designs for the reverses of the proposed coinage of Edward VIII in 1936. His image of a wren was selected for the farthing, where it remained for the rest of the coin's existence, becoming a firm and recognised favourite in Britain.[5]

He was a founding member of the Australian Academy of Art in 1937.[2]

In 1993 a retrospective of his work entitled Harold Parker, Sculptor, was held at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. Artworks by Harold Parker are held at the Queensland Art Gallery.[6][7]

Later life

Parker died in Brisbane on 23 April 1962.[8][9] He was buried in South Brisbane Cemetery.[10]

Legacy

A circa 1907 portrait of Parker by James Peter Quinn hangs in the National Library of Australia.

His personal papers, sketchbooks, photographs and other items are held by the Fryer Library at the University of Queensland.[1]

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References
  1. "Harold Parker Collection" (PDF). University of Queensland Library. 30 March 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  2. McKay, J. (1988), "Parker, Harold (1873–1962)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, 11, retrieved 10 October 2019
  3. "Parker—Robinson". The Brisbane Courier (16, 611). Queensland, Australia. 7 April 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 11 October 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Mr. Harold Parker's Artistry". The Brisbane Courier (22, 277). Queensland, Australia. 21 June 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 11 October 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Dyer, G. P. (1973) The Proposed Coinage of King Edward VIII, HMSO, p. 19
  6. "Harold Parker: The first breath of spring 1911". Queensland Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  7. "Harold Parker: Queenslanders (Daniel and Jane Parker, the sculptor's parents) 1921". Queensland Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  8. "Death registration:Harold Parker". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  9. "In Queensland This Week". The Canberra Times. 36 (10, 215). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 3 May 1962. p. 2. Retrieved 11 October 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. Parker, Harold — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search

Further reading
  • "Harold Parker's Sculpture" Art in Australia, May 1922 and February 1931
  • McKay, Judith Harold Parker, Sculptor Queensland Art Gallery 1993, ISBN 0-7242-5608-3.
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