Albert Henry Fullwood

Who was Albert Henry Fullwood?

Albert Henry Fullwood was the Australian official war artist to the 5th Division in the First World War.

Fullwood was born in Erdington, Birmingham, son of Frederick John Fullwood, jeweller, and his wife Emma, née Barr. From 1878, Fullwood studied art at evening classes at the Birmingham Institute. After graduation, he migrated to Sydney in 1881 and obtained work at John Sands Limited as a lithographic draughtsman and designer. He joined the Art Society of New South Wales in 1884, and shortly afterwards obtained a position on the staff of the Picturesque Atlas of Australia, for which he traveled a good deal in the north and did many drawings. He later worked on The Sydney Mail and other illustrated papers of the time. He kept up his painting, and in 1892 two of his water-colours were purchased for the national gallery at Sydney.

In 1895 Fullwood took a leading part in forming the Society of Artists in Sydney and was a member of its first council. He returned to Europe in 1900 by way of America, holding on the way a very successful exhibition of his work in New York City.