William Dargie

Sir William Alexander Dargie CBE (4 June 1912 – 26 July 2003) was an Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He holds the record for the most Archibald Prize wins; eight. He was an official Australian War Artist during World War II.

William Dargie was born in Footscray, Victoria, the first son of Andrew Dargie and Adelaide (née Sargent). His younger brother Horrie Dargie was a noted Australian musician and harmonicist.

When he was young he met important Australian artists such as Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts. During World War II he served with the Australian Army in the Middle East, New Guinea, India and Burma. He was digging a trench in Tobruk, Libya, when he was informed that he had won the Archibald Prize in 1942. More than 500 of his paintings, drawings and sketches are in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

In December 1954 he was commissioned by Melbourne industrialist James P. Beveridge to paint Australia's official portrait of Queen Elizabeth, who posed for him at Buckingham Palace. This was the first of two portraits he created. The second, a replica of the first, was painted as 'insurance' in case the first was lost in transit to Australia. The original hangs in Australia's Parliament House, while the replica is displayed in the National Museum of Australia. The 'wattle painting', as it became known, was well received by the Australian public and became one of the most recognisable and treasured examples of 20th-century Australian portraiture. Shortly after its completion, colour prints were made available and the work took on the status of official portrait.

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