Joseph Stuart Allan

He was born in 1861 (or 1862?) in Wellington, the son of Mr Alexander Sutherland Allan, Registrar of the Supreme Court, and Elizabeth Rosian (nee Huntley).

He was educated at Wellington College and joined the Civil Service.

He then left this to take up artistic work - studying under his father who was an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy.

On 12 May 1883 at St Mary's Cathedral, Wellington, he married Florence Fountain Hesketh, of Yardley, Worscestershire.

In 1890 he produced "The Bushtown Hunt" - a booklet of sketches about a meet of the Dannevirke Hunt Club. This booklet has been scanned and is available here in Kete.

In 1895 he produced "Colonials Black and White" - a set of 38 cartoons - these can be viewed online in the National Library of Australia.

In The Fair Play of 2 December 1895 the following was written about Mr Allan:

'The portrait which appears above presents the features of a familiar face well-known to Wellingtonians. Mr. Joseph Stuart Allan, is a son of Mr. A. Allan, late Registrar of the Supreme Court, and was born in Wellington hi 1861. He was educated at "Wellington College, and spent the earlier part of his life in the Civil Service, which he left to take up artistic work as a profession. He studied under his father, who was an Associate of the Boyal Scottish Academy, and, after considerable experimental work, concluded to confine his attention to black and, white reproductions. His sketches are well-known throughout New Zealand, and have met with favourable criticism. His forte is undoubtedly, the drawing of horses and animals, and the following may be mentioned as being amongst some of his most successful undertakings. The illustrat. ing of Lord Onslow's article on the Biding number of the Badminton Library Series, in which he was associated with Frank Dadd, 8.A., and Major Giles, member of the Boyal Institute of Water Colours, The Wellington Drag Hunt, and A Day with the Hounds. Mr Allan has been for some time a contributor to the Sporting and Dramatic News, of London, and to several other "Home" papers. He has a number oi friends hi Wellington and throughout New Zealand, who sympathise with him, in that there is not a greater outlet for black and white work in this colony. During the election campaign he has drawn a number of political cartoons which may be seen about the city, and many of which show evidence of no mean ability.'

He left New Zealand for Australia in about 1895. We have not found much about his life in Australia.

According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Joseph Stuart Allan had nine children - the eighth of whom was Catherine Mabel Joyce Allan (1896 - 1966) a noted Australian artist.

Joseph Stuart Allan died in Sydney, Australia in June 1930.