| AdminHistory | Charles Decimus Barraud (1822-1897) was a pharmacist and artist.
Born on 9 May 1822 in Camberwell, Surrey, to William Francis Barraud (a clerk in the Customs House) and Sophia Hull. He wanted to be a doctor but following his father's death he was unable to afford the training and instead qualified as a chemist and druggist, practicing in Southampton. On 17 March 1849 at St Lawrence's Church, Southampton, he married Sarah Maria Style and they had six sons and three daughters. Following the encouragement of Judge H. S. Chapman, Charles's cousin by marriage, the family emigrated to New Zealand. They sailed in the Pilgrim and arrived at Wellington on 20 August 1849. Chapman lent the Barrauds a cottage near his house, Homewood, in the hills of Karori, while their home, Fernglen, was being built on The Terrace. Barraud set up shop in Lambton Quay as a pharmacist. He was the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand and in 1881 became the President of the Pharmacy Board.
Barraud was also a keen artist and when his pharmacy at Lambton Quay was destroyed by fire for a second time in 1887 he decided to turn his attention to art full time, and he opened a number of shops. He specialised in watercolours but also used oils, and produced portraits and landscape scenes, becoming a popular artist in New Zealand. He founded the Fine Arts Association in 1882 and when he became President in 1890 (following William Beetham) it was renamed the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Barraud was also chairman of the Wellington Sailors' Rest and treasurer of the Wellington Hospital Convalescent Fund. He died on 26 December 1897 in Wellington and is buried in the Bolton Street Cemetary. |
| Description | 4 large water colour drawings by C.D. Barraud showing the changes in the growth of rata ("Metrosideros robusta"), one of the trees in Wellington.
Also includes a letter of transmittal, dated 9 September 1862, from J.Woodman, Acting Provincial Secretary from the Provincial Secretary's Office in Wellington, explaining that the drawings by Barraud had been exhibited at the International Exhibition. |