Miniature watercolour of Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of NSW (1810–1821) mounted on ivory (c. 1819)

Completed in 1818, Macquarie Lighthouse at Vaucluse was designed by Francis Greenway, a convict serving a sentence for forgery, and named for Lachlan Macquarie, the NSW Governor who commissioned it. Macquarie was so pleased with ‘his’ lighthouse that he gave a partial pardon to the English-born architect. Crumbling sandstone foundations led to the construction of a replacement lighthouse, completed in 1883. Designed by James Barnet to closely resemble the original, this lighthouse continues to operate, ensuring the safe passage of vessels into Sydney Harbour.

This minature portrait, along with miniatures of Elizabeth Macquaire (MIN 237) and Lachlan Macquarie Junior (MIN 238), were gifts to Captain John Cliffe Watts of the 46th Regiment from Lachlan Macquarie.

Image courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales

Image Call Number: MIN 236