engravers and lithographers, had a printery at Sydney in the late 1840s. In 1848 they published Panorama of Australia containing 12 views engraved in London, mostly after John Skinner Prout . On 10 June 1852, Quarrill & Co.'s 'Stock-in-trade’ was auctioned at their premises in Kent Street, Sydney, including 'some of the finest presses ever brought into the colony … with a large quantity of engraved steel and copper plates, among which there are a number of well executed views of each of the Australian colonies, engraved by English artists, after drawings by Prout’.

The Quarrills then set up in Melbourne. The firm showed several 'specimens of artistic lithography and commercial Engraving’ at the 1854 Melbourne Exhibition, including Corio Bay, Geelong and Portrait of Clint the Ventriloquist ( Scipio Clint ), undoubtedly local productions. In February 1854 the Armchair noted: 'we have received another packet of Melbourne sketches by E. Thomas [q.v.] lithographed by Quarrill. They are six in number, four being the most familiar spots in town, including the Argus office with its crowds of news-seekers in front, and the other two Canvass-town and Sandridge [Port Melbourne]. They are all cleverly executed, the Argus and Prince’s Bridge being the best. The price of the whole series in an illustrated wrapper, is only five shillings, and we are glad to find that they are being extensively sold for transmission to England’.

Misspelt as 'Quarrel’ in the catalogue, the firm showed a lithograph of the Melbourne Exhibition Building (also after Thomas) at the 1861 Victorian Exhibition.

Writers:

Staff Writer

Date written:

1992

Last updated:

2011