Mayoral Portraits, Alderman James Cooper Stewart, Arthur Jose de Souza Loureiro, 1887
Summary
Full length portrait of Ald Cooper Stewart (Mayor 1885-6).
James Cooper Stewart was born in England in 1836, and came to Victoria in 1857 on account of his health. He first settled in Warrnambool where he turned to farming. When his health improved he moved to Melbourne and returned to practicing law. He became a senior partner in the firm Malleson, Stewart, Stawell and Nankivell. His obituary states that he “… stood at the head of his branch of the legal profession in Victoria, and his opinion and advice were often sought by fellow practitioners in matters of etiquette and procedure”. Oddly his obituary does not mention his role as Mayor of City of Melbourne.
Stewart was the representative for the Smith ward in 1870. In 1872 he was elected Alderman and in 1885 the Mayor. He was re-elected Mayor in the following year and retired from Council in 1895 where he subsequently took on the role of City Solicitor, a position he maintained until his death at the age of 83.
Artur José de Souza Loureiro (1853-1932) also came to Melbourne for his health in 1884, after a successful career as a painter in Portugal, Paris and London. Although he spoke very little English at this time he soon became a prominent member of the Melbourne arts community. He was a founding member of the Australian Art Association, a group of eight professional artists that included Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton. For most of his seventeen years in Melbourne he was Professor of Design at Presbyterian Ladies College and maintained a successful painting career. This portrait was one of the few that survived the 1925 Town Hall fire intact.
