Charles Doudiet
Encyclopedia
Charles Alphonse Doudiet (1832 - June 13, 1913) was a Canadian
artist and digger present at the Eureka Stockade
, Ballarat, Australia
, in 1854. His sketchbook, discovered by his descendants in 1996, has provided contemporary images of events connected to the Eureka Stockade, that were important for the authentication of the original Eureka Flag
.
Charles Doudiet was born in Geneva, Switzerland. At the age of twelve, Doudiet migrated from Switzerland to Canada in 1844. His father, Reverend Jacques-Frederic Doudiet, worked with the French Canadian Missionary Society, a job that required much travelling which Jacques-Frederic Doudiet documented in a series of sketchbooks.
When the twenty year old Charles Doudiet left his home in Belle Riviere near Montreal
in Canada, like his father he carried a sketchbook to document his travels. By riverboat, train, then the clipper Magnolia, Doudiet travelled to Melbourne
Australia, attracted by the Victorian Gold Rush
.
On the diggings at Ballarat Doudiet continued to document events, including the burning of Bentley's Pub on 17 October 1854.
Swearing Allegiance to the "Southern Cross" is an important historical work because it documents the meeting on Bakery Hill on 1 December 1854. Prior to the discovery of the sketchbook, there was no certain proof that the flag held by the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was the original flag, as there were several different southern cross flag designs used on the gold fields at that time.
Eureka Slaughter shows the troops lined up attacking the stockade on 3 December 1854. Accompanying the sketch is a descriptive passage with the footnote: "Joyce, Penny and Fletcher along with myself carried Ross to the Star where he died in great pain at about 2am on the 5th". This refers to fellow Canadian Captain Henry Ross
, whom many believe to be the Eureka Flag's designer, who was carried to the Star Hotel after he was mortally wounded in the battle at dawn on 3 December 1854.
Doudiet's Melbourne sketchbook ends in 1855, and soon after Doudiet returned to Canada and married in March 1857. After several years, he studied theology at Queen's College, Kingston Ontario, and was ordained as a minister in Montreal in 1869. He served several congregations in Canada before dying in Hollowell, Massachusetts, on 13 June 1913.
After descendants found Doudiet's sketchbook in an attic in 1996, it was put up for sale by auction at Christies. Money was raised by the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery who purchased the sketchbook to add to the historical collection connected to Ballarat and the Eureka Stockade.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
artist and digger present at the Eureka Stockade
Eureka Stockade
The Eureka Rebellion of 1854 was an organised rebellion by gold miners which occurred at Eureka Lead in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The Battle of Eureka Stockade was fought on 3 December 1854 and named for the stockade structure erected by miners during the conflict...
, Ballarat, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, in 1854. His sketchbook, discovered by his descendants in 1996, has provided contemporary images of events connected to the Eureka Stockade, that were important for the authentication of the original Eureka Flag
Eureka Flag
The Eureka Flag is a design; a dark blue field with a central white symmetric cross consisting five eight-pointed stars, representing the Crux constellation....
.
Charles Doudiet was born in Geneva, Switzerland. At the age of twelve, Doudiet migrated from Switzerland to Canada in 1844. His father, Reverend Jacques-Frederic Doudiet, worked with the French Canadian Missionary Society, a job that required much travelling which Jacques-Frederic Doudiet documented in a series of sketchbooks.
When the twenty year old Charles Doudiet left his home in Belle Riviere near Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in Canada, like his father he carried a sketchbook to document his travels. By riverboat, train, then the clipper Magnolia, Doudiet travelled to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Australia, attracted by the Victorian Gold Rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
.
On the diggings at Ballarat Doudiet continued to document events, including the burning of Bentley's Pub on 17 October 1854.
Eureka Slaughter shows the troops lined up attacking the stockade on 3 December 1854. Accompanying the sketch is a descriptive passage with the footnote: "Joyce, Penny and Fletcher along with myself carried Ross to the Star where he died in great pain at about 2am on the 5th". This refers to fellow Canadian Captain Henry Ross
Henry Ross
Captain Henry Ross was a Canadian gold miner at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, and was known on the goldfields as the 'bridegroom' of the miners flag, the Southern Cross, the Eureka Flag...
, whom many believe to be the Eureka Flag's designer, who was carried to the Star Hotel after he was mortally wounded in the battle at dawn on 3 December 1854.
Doudiet's Melbourne sketchbook ends in 1855, and soon after Doudiet returned to Canada and married in March 1857. After several years, he studied theology at Queen's College, Kingston Ontario, and was ordained as a minister in Montreal in 1869. He served several congregations in Canada before dying in Hollowell, Massachusetts, on 13 June 1913.
After descendants found Doudiet's sketchbook in an attic in 1996, it was put up for sale by auction at Christies. Money was raised by the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery who purchased the sketchbook to add to the historical collection connected to Ballarat and the Eureka Stockade.