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Source (hi res available) Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier R.N.H.M. Ship "Terror", lost at the North Pole with Captain Sir John Franklin, H.M.S. "Erebus". Presented by his nephew, William Snell Magee. |
Watercolour on canvas; visible image 55 x 45.2 cm (oval), in frame 100 x 85 cm. Half-length, almost full face, wearing high collared coat and black stock. Title incised on metal plaque attached to frame. Wooden frame with gilt paint. Accessioned; 1934. Artist unidentified. [Details now updated with my comment; catalogue record]
Updated Nov 2023: Watercolour on card.
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This is a later copy of an unknown, contemporary miniature portrait.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Wed 8 Nov 1882
Mr. W. S. Magee, the governor of the Melbourne Gaol, has presented an enlarged coloured portrait of his uncle, Captain F. R. M. Crozier, R.N., of H.M.S. Terror, to the trustees of the Public Library and Art Gallery. Captain Crozier entered the navy on the 12th June, 1810, and held various important posts in the service until June, 1837, when he obtained the rank of commander, and was appointed to the Terror, in which vessel he soon afterwards sailed with an expedition, under Captain Jas. Clark Ross, for the purpose of magnetic research and geographical discovery in the Antarctic Ocean. He was advanced to post rank, and subsequently [sic] went on an expedition to the south, during which his vessel, along with others of the fleet, remained some time at Tasmania. He afterwards co-operated with Sir John Franklin in that fatal attempt to explore the north-west passage through Lancaster Sound and Behring Strait, in which the whole party was lost. The portrait, which is remarkably well executed, has been enlarged by Messrs. E. C. Waddington and Co., of Elizabeth street, from an old miniature in the possession of Mr. Magee.
William Snell Magee's mother was Margaret Crozier, Captain Crozier's sister. The Magee family also held Crozier's herbarium from the Parry expeditions, and likely other unknown artefacts, such as the miniature portrait mentioned above.
According to Stillorgan Geneology & History, "Charles
Magee of Bachelors Walk baptised 06.04.1794 at St Mary’s married
Margaret Crozier youngest daughter of George Crozier of Banbridge on the
01.02.1822 at Seapatrick Church" and their second child "William Snell Magee born circa 1829 moved to Ballarat and became Governor of Melbourne Jail".
The Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Wed 12 Nov 1884
An old civil servant, Mr. William Snell Magee, governor of the Melbourne gaol, died at his quarters in the gaol on Monday afternoon at the age of 56 years. Mr. Magee was son of the late Charles Magee [d. in 1881], of Six Town Lands, in the county of Armagh, Ireland, and was grandson of William Snell Magee, governor of the Bank of Ireland, and his mother was sister to the well known Captain Crozier, who went in search of Sir John Franklin [sic]. Mr. Magee was educated at the Royal College, Armagh, and from there graduated to Trinity College, Dublin, where he passed the necessary degrees qualifying him for a surgeon. His first appointment was assistant surgeon in the Royal Navy, but after a short term of service he decided to try his fortunes in Victoria, and arrived in this colony in the year 1853. Having served as a cadet under Sir Charles MacMahon, he was appointed governor of the new gaol at Ballarat, which post he held for twenty-nine years, and was subsequently transferred to a similar position in the Melbourne Gaol. About five weeks ago Mr. Magee complained of ill health, and in consequence was granted three months’ leave of absence, his duties being undertaken by Mr. H. Williams, governor of Beechworth gaol, an old and experienced officer. Mr. Magee, however, gradually got worse and died peacefully on Monday afternoon. The deceased leaves a wife and five children. The funeral will take place in the Melbourne Cemetery at three o'clock this afternoon.
Historical Stillorgan also cites a death notice: "10th November 1884 – Magee At Melbourne, Wm. Snell Magee, eldest son of the late Charles Magee of Tyrone, and grandson of the late Wm. Snell Magee, of Tyrone and Dublin, and nephew of the late Capt. Crozier, RN. CC 02/01/1885".
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Further technical information:
John Gregory, sorting the National Gallery of Victoria collections at Before Felton, lists the portrait and has found the following entries in the catalogues
- Melbourne Public Library Annual Report on 1882 acquisitions, p. 37 (Schedule III: Donations): Coloured Portrait: Portrait of Capt. Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier, R.N., H.M.S. Terror, lost at the North Pole with Capt. Sir John Franklin, H.M.S. Erebus (donated by Wm. S. Magee, Esq.)
- NGV Catalogue 1894, p. 127 (Buvelot Gallery, South Wall, no. 6): Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier, R.N. / A coloured photograph. Presented by W.S. Magee, Esq., in 1882
- NGV Catalogue 1905, p. 150 (Buvelot Gallery, South Wall, no. 4): Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier, R.N., of H.M.S. "Terror," lost at the North Pole in Sir John Franklin's expedition, 1847. A Coloured Photograph. Presented by W.S. Magee in 1882
The State Library's picture expert Gerard Hayes has now inspected the portrait and reports that there are no signs of it being "a photographic work, even a painted-over one. [...] The frame still has a catalogue number badge on it," possibly '53' – "its number in the 1911 catalogue is 52. [...] it proves that this is the work which was on display in the Gallery for all those years and was mistakenly described in the catalogues as a photograph." It's important to note that "the pictures accession register was begun in 1934, and it commenced with a wholesale retrospective accessioning of everything that was on hand at that time." Hayes made two other discoveries, that the painting is on card, and that it has a modern conservation backing. So it's currently not possible to search for any clues within the frame. Regarding the image itself, Hayes believes that "it's a straightforward manual transcription of a miniature portrait, exactly as described in the 1882 newspaper article."
A gossip piece in The Mail, Adelaide, 1937, confuses two Croziers, but mentions the portrait being kept in the vaults against the relatives' wishes. The Polar section never materialised, and the work remains in storage at the Library.
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The other known miniature portrait of Crozier, acquired in 1932 by the Royal Geographical Society, has been presented by Commander L.H. Crozier, R.N. (more on this collection).
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