Private Cyril T Leishman

Private Cyril Leishman was born in St Kilda, Victoria and worked as a station hand prior to enlisting in the AIF on 17 March 1915 in Liverpool, New South Wales. Leishman landed at Gallipoli on 18 August 1915 with the 5th Field Ambulance, Australian Medical Corps. Tragically he contracted diphtheria and died on 12 October 1915 aged 20. Grieving the loss of her only son, Cyril’s mother Millicent had this portrait painted to commemorate him. The portrait artist, Violet Teague worked from a photograph of Cyril and had Cyril’s sister sit to help inform her rendering of his facial features. Teague’s exceptional skill as a portrait painter won her international acclaim at the Paris Salon and the Royal Academy in London in the 1920s. This painting is a fine example of her work.