Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil

The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil was a Melbourne-based illustrated periodical published by The Argus from April 1873 until 1889. Although it can be treated as a historical publication brand rather than a modern commercial brand, the magazine occupied an important position in the visual and literary culture of nineteenth-century Australia. Its pages combined detailed engravings and other illustrations with original articles, poetry, short fiction, musical and theatrical criticism, social observations and sporting notes. The result was a broad record of public events, landscapes, buildings, people and everyday social life in Australia and New Zealand. The publication emerged during a period when illustrated journalism was becoming increasingly influential, while photography was not yet widely available as a routine means of recording public events. The Sketcher therefore served both an editorial and documentary function. Its images interpreted notable events and places for readers and helped create a visual account of the colonies. The magazine’s stated subject matter included the picturesque aspects of public and social life, and its coverage ranged from prominent objects and events to cultural and sporting activity. The emphasis on visual reporting distinguished it from a conventional literary magazine, even though literary contributions remained part of its early identity. The magazine was published monthly from its first issue in April 1873. Its proprietors were identified as Edward Wilson, Lauchlan Mackinnon and others. The Argus provided the publishing context and distribution network through which the periodical reached readers in Victoria and beyond. From 1875, an Adelaide edition was issued in association with the Illustrated Adelaide Post. This Adelaide-related publishing activity connected the Sketcher with the developing illustrated press in South Australia and expanded the publication’s regional reach. The Adelaide edition continued under the Australasian Sketcher title until 1885, while the principal Melbourne publication continued until 1889. The Sketcher employed or published the work of a number of notable artists and writers. Artists associated with its pages included Louis Buvelot, John Gully, political cartoonist Tom Carrington and illustrator Julian Ashton. The magazine also published writing by authors and poets including Marcus Clarke and James Brunton Stephens. Its visual contributors gave the publication an important role in recording and shaping representations of colonial society, while its literary contributors placed it within the wider cultural world of nineteenth-century Australian newspapers and magazines. On 24 January 1889, it published Arthur Streeton’s first black-and-white work, an early appearance by an artist who later became a major figure in Australian art. The format and editorial balance changed over time. In 1880, the publication briefly shifted from monthly to fortnightly frequency, a change that lasted until 1882, after which it returned to a monthly schedule. Later issues reportedly placed less emphasis on literary material and more on illustrated news, reflecting the growing importance of visual current-affairs coverage. In 1889, the magazine merged with The Australasian, bringing its independent run to an end. Historical copies and related editions are preserved in digital newspaper and periodical collections, including Trove. Today, the Australasian Sketcher is chiefly significant as a source for the visual history of Australia and New Zealand and as a record of the development of illustrated colonial journalism.

The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil was established in Melbourne in 1873 and published by The Argus. Its first issue appeared in April of that year. The proprietors were named as Edward Wilson, Lauchlan Mackinnon and other associated proprietors. The magazine belonged to the expanding nineteenth-century illustrated press, using engraved images and written reporting to bring scenes of colonial life to a broad readership. Its editorial scope was unusually broad. The publication carried illustrations and engravings alongside original articles, poetry, short stories, reviews of music and theatre, social notes and sporting reports. These features allowed it to operate simultaneously as a literary magazine, an illustrated newspaper and a visual record of public life. Its subject matter included notable places, events and people in Australia and New Zealand, as well as scenes intended to convey the distinctive character of colonial society. The Sketcher’s historical importance is closely connected with the limited availability of photography during the period. Before photographic reproduction became widespread in newspapers and magazines, drawn and engraved images were among the principal ways readers could see distant buildings, landscapes, ceremonies, disasters, sporting events and other public subjects. The magazine’s illustrations consequently provide evidence of how places and events were represented to nineteenth-century audiences, even though those images were shaped by the conventions and judgments of their artists and editors. A substantial group of artists contributed to or were associated with the publication. They included Louis Buvelot, John Gully, political cartoonist Tom Carrington and illustrator Julian Ashton. The magazine also published literary work by Marcus Clarke and James Brunton Stephens. Its combination of art, journalism and literature made it part of the cultural infrastructure of colonial Melbourne and connected it to broader developments in Australian visual and literary culture. On 24 January 1889, it published Arthur Streeton’s first black-and-white work, an early document of the career of a future leading Australian artist. The publication’s schedule was not entirely fixed. It began as a monthly periodical, moved temporarily to fortnightly publication in 1880, retained that frequency until 1882, and then returned to a monthly format. Its later editorial direction placed relatively less weight on literary material and more on illustrated news, suggesting an adjustment toward topical visual reporting. The title also developed a South Australian edition. From 1875, the Adelaide edition incorporated the Illustrated Adelaide Post. This related publication is recorded as the Australasian Sketcher in Adelaide and continued until 1885. The Adelaide activity coincided with the appearance of the Frearson Brothers’ Illustrated Adelaide News, situating the Sketcher within a competitive and developing regional illustrated-magazine market. The main Melbourne publication continued until 1889. In that year it merged with The Australasian, ending the title’s independent existence. Surviving editions are available through historical newspaper and periodical repositories, including Trove. Researchers use the magazine as a source for colonial visual culture, the history of Australian publishing, representations of Australia and New Zealand, and the early published work of artists and writers who later became prominent.

1. 1889Arthur Streeton work published

   The 24 January issue published Arthur Streeton’s first black-and-white work.

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2. 1889Independent publication ends

   The magazine merged with The Australasian and ceased to operate as a separate title.

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3. 1882Monthly schedule restored

   After the temporary fortnightly period, the publication returned to monthly frequency.

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4. 1880Temporary move to fortnightly publication

   The principal edition changed from a monthly to a fortnightly schedule.

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5. 1875Adelaide edition established

   An Adelaide edition began and incorporated the Illustrated Adelaide Post, broadening the title’s regional publishing presence.

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6. 1873First issue published

   The magazine began monthly publication in Melbourne in April 1873 under the proprietorship associated with Edward Wilson, Lauchlan Mackinnon and others.

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An illustrated colonial magazine combining visual documentation, literary content, cultural criticism and social reporting, with particular emphasis on Australia and New Zealand.

• Australasian Sketcher with Pen and PencilIllustrated magazine1873

  The principal Melbourne edition was a richly illustrated periodical combining engravings, visual reports, original prose, poetry, short fiction, arts criticism, social observations and sporting notes. Its coverage focused on Australia and New Zealand and documented public events, notable places and aspects of colonial social life. It began as a monthly in 1873, briefly appeared fortnightly from 1880 to 1882, and returned to monthly publication before merging with The Australasian in 1889.

• Australasian SketcherAdelaide illustrated magazine edition1875

  The Adelaide edition was introduced from 1875 and incorporated the Illustrated Adelaide Post. It represented the title’s South Australian publishing presence and formed part of a regional illustrated-press environment that also included the Frearson Brothers’ Illustrated Adelaide News. The Adelaide edition is recorded as continuing until 1885.

• 1889Merger with The AustralasianM&A

  After more than fifteen years of publication, the separate Australasian Sketcher title was brought into the related Australasian newspaper operation.

  What changed. The magazine merged with The Australasian.

  Aftermath. The independent title ended in 1889.

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• 1880Temporary increase in publication frequencyStrategy

  The magazine had been issued monthly since its launch, but its publishing schedule was changed as the title developed its editorial and commercial operation.

  What changed. The main edition was published fortnightly from 1880 until 1882, after which it returned to a monthly schedule.

  Aftermath. The change was temporary; the monthly format was restored in 1882.

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• 1889Arthur Streeton’s first black-and-white work published

  The issue dated 24 January 1889 included Arthur Streeton’s first known black-and-white work, marking an early publication appearance by the future Australian artist.

  Product launch
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• 1889Australasian Sketcher merges with The Australasian

  The magazine was absorbed into The Australasian, ending its separate publication run.

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• 1880Publication frequency temporarily changed

  The main magazine shifted from monthly to fortnightly publication for a period that continued through 1882 before returning to a monthly schedule.

  Other
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• 1875Adelaide edition introduced

  An Adelaide edition began publication and incorporated the Illustrated Adelaide Post, extending the title’s presence into South Australia.

  Product launch
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• 1873Australasian Sketcher begins publication in Melbourne

  The illustrated periodical issued its first number in April 1873 under the publishing operation associated with The Argus.

  Other
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1. Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil
2. Australasian Sketcher editions on Trove