Thomas Baines | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Thomas Baines, ca 1860s; 37 x 29.4 cm.National Library of Australia | |
| Born | (1820-11-27)27 November 1820 |
| Died | 8 May 1875(1875-05-08) (aged 54) |
| Nationality | English |
| Known for | Expedition, colonial and wildlife painting |
| Elected | FRGS |
(John) Thomas Baines (27 November 1820 – 8 May 1875) was an English artist and explorer ofBritish colonial southern Africa and Australia.
Born inKing's Lynn, Norfolk, on 27 November 1820, Baines was apprenticed to a coach painter at the age of 16.[1] When he was 22 he left England for South Africa aboard the "Olivia" (captained by a family friend William Roome) and worked for a while inCape Town as a scenic and portrait artist, and as official war artist during the so-calledEighth Frontier War for the British Army.
In 1855 Baines joinedAugustus Gregory's 1855–1857Royal Geographical Society sponsored expedition across northern Australia as official artist and storekeeper.[1] The expedition's purpose was to explore theVictoria River district in the north-west and to evaluate the entire northern area of Australia in terms of its suitability for colonial settlement.[2] His association with the North Australian Expedition was the highpoint of his career, and he was warmly commended for his contribution to it, to the extent thatMount Baines and theBaines River were named in his honour.
In 1858 Baines accompaniedDavid Livingstone along theZambezi, and was one of the first white men to viewVictoria Falls.[3] In 1869 Baines led one of the firstgold prospecting expeditions toMashonaland in what later becameRhodesia.
From 1861 to 1862 Baines andJames Chapman undertook an expedition toSouth West Africa.[4] Chapman'sTravels in the Interior of South Africa (1868) and Baines'Explorations in South-West Africa (1864), provide a rare account of different perspectives on the same trip.[5] This was the first expedition during which extensive use was made of both photography and painting, and in addition both men kept journals in which, amongst other things, they commented on their own and each other's practice.
Baines made some of the drawings for the engravings illustratingAlfred Russel Wallace's 1869 bookThe Malay Archipelago.
In 1870 Baines was granted a concession to explore for gold between theGweru andHunyani rivers byLobengula, leader of theMatabele nation.[citation needed]
Thomas Baines died inDurban on 8 May 1875 and is buried inWest Street Cemetery.[citation needed]
Baines is today best known for his detailed paintings andsketches which give a unique insight into colonial life in southern Africa and Australia. Most of his work is held in London.[6] Many of his pictures are held by theNational Library of Australia,National Archives of Zimbabwe,National Maritime Museum,Brenthurst Library and theRoyal Geographical Society. There are also numerous paintings at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town. TheThomas Baines Nature Reserve in theEastern Cape of South Africa was also named after him.[7]
Baines is also commemorated in theAloe bainesii T.-Dyer,Albuca bainesii Baker,Iboza bainesii N.E.Br and many others.[5]
