Mayoral Portraits, Godfrey Downes Carter, George Folingsby, 1884
Summary
Full length portrait of Godfrey Downes Carter.
Godfrey Downes Carter narrowly missed the Gold Rush when his family insisted that he first try his luck in Jamaica. He arrived in Victoria in 1853 where he established a wholesale wine business.
He had an unfortunate career as a state parliamentarian, initially gaining his seat by only one vote. He became treasurer in 1893 just as Victoria entered the worst economic depression the state had ever experienced. The crisis was triggered by a collapse of the property market, which had become over-inflated by the prosperity of the Gold Rush. Three months after being appointed Treasurer he seriously mishandled a banking crisis that saw a disastrous run on the banks. He then significantly contributed to the downfall of the government by miscalculating the budget in a way that presented an overly optimistic picture of the government’s financial position. Two weeks later his government fell.
From 1877 to 1883 Carter held the seat of St Kilda in the Legislative Assembly, and in 1885 he was elected to the seat of West Melbourne. As Mayor of Melbourne in 1884 he managed to instigate a program of footpath widening and tree planting, and was noted for his hospitality.
George Folingsby (1828-1891) succeeded Von Guerard as director of the National Gallery of Victoria, and head of the Art school in 1882. His painting Bunyan in Prison was one of the first acquisitions made by the National Gallery of Victoria and was purchased before his arrival in Melbourne in 1880 at the age of fifty-two, following a successful artistic career largely based in Munich.
