Andrew MacCormac

Andrew MacCormac (23 December 1826 – 13 August 1918) was a portrait painter in South Australia.

Andrew was born on Dec 23 1826 in Banbridge, County Down Ireland and studied at Lee's Academy in London. His father John MacCormac was the town clerk of Banbridge County Down, Ireland. Andrew was persuaded to come to Australia by the G. C. King , Town clerk of Melbourne, who was in England lobbying to stop the transportation of convicts to Victoria. MacCormac and his wife travelled by steamer Golden Age to Melbourne in 1854. He was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian Church, but at some stage became a Baptist. He moved to South Australia in 1868 and ministered to the Moonta Baptist Church for a year, then moved to North Adelaide where he turned professional portraitist in oils.

He was also a writer and poet of some ability. He published one small volume of verse Via Crucis; or Death and Life dedicated to Lord Hallam Tennyson.

He attempted painting landscapes, but those he exhibited at the Adelaide Easel Club, of which he was a member, were received without enthusiasm.

He married Emily Mary Johnson (21 March 1847 – 3 November 1898). Their children included:

They lived at Clifton Street, Prospect

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