Folingsby, George Frederick (1828-91; Irish/Australian)
William Saurin Lyster 1883
Oil on canvas, 141 x 110 cm, framed
Presented by subscribers 1883; transferred from the NGV to the SLV 1929
State Library of Victoria (H5237)

Lyster (1821-80), a theatre and opera impresario, was born in Ireland; he first came to Melbourne with his troupe in 1861, and subsequently performed extensively in Australia and beyond. The outer Melbourne suburb of Lysterfield is named after him.

Folingsby painted this posthumous portrait from a photograph.

Refs.

AR 1883, p.34; NGV 1894, p.120 (V.Buvelot Gallery, 6th bay, no.3); not listed in NGV 1905