William Macleod

William Macleod (27 October 1850 – 24 June 1929), was an Australian artist and a partner in The Bulletin.

Early life

Macleod was born in London. His father was of a Scottish Highlands family and his mother Cornish/German. The family emigrated to Australia in 1854 or 1855, drawn by the potential for riches from the Victorian goldrush, but Macleod's father died a year later.

His mother moved to Sydney and was remarried to James Anderson, a portrait painter. Anderson's heavy drinking and the family's parlius financial state forced Macleod to find work at the age of 12. He found employment as an assistant to a professional photographer, and began studying at a school of the arts. His studies led to the production of a number of paintings and stained glass designs, and by the age of 17 Macleod was earning enough from commissions to purchase a home for his mother, away from her husband. For a time he also worked as a drawing master in schools.

Career

When Macleod was still in his early twenties he began contributing drawings to The Sydney Mail, the Illustrated Sydney News, the Town and Country Journal and others. He also obtained a reputation as a portrait painter whose work was hung at exhibitions of the Art Societies in both Sydney and Melbourne. For many years he was hardworking and successful. When The Bulletin started in 1880, he had a drawing in the first number and for the next two years was a regular contributor. Months after The Bulletin was launched, he and another artist, Samuel Begg, purchased a third share of the magazine, but relinquished it when the founders, J. F. Archibald and John Haynes were more financially secure. He then became one of the artists for the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia and did a large number of illustrations for it, including most of the portraits. When he was approaching the end of this work, J. F. Archibald, who had been impressed by his business methods when a contributor to the Bulletin, asked him to join the staff. He became business manager in September 1887, soon acquired an interest in the paper, and for nearly 40 years was actively engaged in the management of it. He also read all the proofs with a watchful eye for possible libel actions. At one period he owned 75% of the paper but, recognising the value of Archibald's work for it, he handed over to him 25% as a gift. He practically gave up working as an artist, but took a special interest in the cartoonists. His greatest discovery was cartoonist David Low.

Late life

Macleod took up painting again, became interested in sculpture, and did a good deal of modelling. In 1926 he retired from the Bulletin and died on 24 June 1929. He was married twice; firstly to Emily Collins in 1873 and secondly in 1911 to Conor O'Brien, who survived him with one son and two daughters of the first marriage.

References

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Macleod, William". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
• B. G. Andrews, 'Macleod, William (1850 - 1929)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 335–336.

Additional resources listed by the Australian Dictionary of Biography

• G. A. Taylor, Those Were the Days (Syd, 1918)
• M. Mahood, The Loaded Line (Melb, 1973)
• P. Rolfe, The Journalistic Javelin (Syd, 1979)
• S. Lawson, The Archibald Paradox (Melb, 1983)
• Scottish Australasian, 1 April 1911
• Newspaper News, 1 July 1929
• Bowyang, 7, 1982
• Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 21 June 1924
• Bulletin, 26 June 1929
• manuscript catalogue under Macleod (State Library of New South Wales)