He received encouragement from his older brother, painter William Nicholl (1794-1840), and possibly some instruction.

[2] He embarked for Ceylon in August 1846, crossing Egypt by camel to the Red Sea, returning to Britain in 1849.

[3] He rewarded his patron (by then Colonial Secretary) by illustrating parts of the latter's descriptive book about the island, Ceylon, Physical, Historical and Topographical.

A watercolour entitled The Great Sphinx with a pyramid of Khufu and another boat of Aden indicate other stops on this voyage.

The Ulster History Circle has a blue plaque to him at his birth house at 10 Church Lane, Belfast.