Criminal illustrator William Buelow Gould

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Portrait of criminal illustrator William Buelow Gould (1801 – 11 December 1853), English and Tasmanian painter

Criminal illustrator William Buelow Gould
Long ago, when the earth was still young, the seas were full of the fish and all living things on earth – not destroyed, lived a man named William Buelow Gould. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the worst penal colony in the British Empire, he was commissioned to paint a book of fish. In fact, his alcoholism and petty crimes regularly sent him to prison until his death in 1853. However, his paintings became declared World Heritage Site in 2011.
Born in Liverpool in 1801, William Buelow Gould was a talented British artist. Unfortunately, we know almost nothing about his childhood and youth. According to the researchers, he studied painting under the guidance of the Irish painter and German lithographer, and worked in a porcelain art studio.

The (Common) Stargazer. Illustration by William Buelow Gould, from the “Sketchbook of fishes”, 1832

Sentenced to 7 years in prison in November 7, 1826, Gould had to move to Australia, the worst penal colony of the British Empire. Like most of the convicts, he never came back and never saw his family – his wife and two children. Meanwhile, his crime was a stolen coat, but it was the second sentence.

And yet, there is a perception that if a talented person is talented in everything. And Gould was a damn talented illustrator – naturalist, but an incompetent thief. Caught twice. However, in prison, he continued to commit petty theft. Besides, indulge in alcohol, made fake paintings, which led him into one of the most complex of prisons on the island, where the worst criminals were kept.

After a series of adventures, which had happened all his life, and the prison was no exception, he became friends with the employee amateur – naturalist. It seems that he ordered patterns of marine life. Staying in jail, Gould drew and painted.

Today known 36 stunning watercolors of fish and other wildlife paintings. He created them from the example of marine specimens caught in the ocean. Until now, they are unsurpassed, made at the highest technical level. Some of his paintings were declared World Heritage Site in 2011.

William Buelow Gould was released in 1835, stayed in Australia, married again, but his alcoholism and petty crimes regularly sent him to prison until his death in 1853.