Phil Goatcher

His American-born son James Goatcher followed in his father's footsteps in Sydney, then both left for Perth, Western Australia, where they set up in business as painters and decorators.

[6] Around 1868 he took off with one John L. Hall[7] for the Thames goldfields in New Zealand, but after failing to "strike it rich", took a job with Charles Massey,[c] painting scenes for the Robert Heir company at the Theatre Royal, Grahamstown (now Onerahi).

[6] Goatcher left the ship at San Francisco, where he soon found work, then in 1870 was taken on at John McCullough's California Theatre, painting scenery with William Porter[5] for several of Wilson Barrett's productions.

That was followed by ten years at Wallack's Theatre in New York, when he did some of his best and most important work, Antony and Cleopatra for the Potter-Bellew Company, and other productions for Edwin Booth, Wilson Barrett and Lillie Langtry.

[9] During the summer breaks, Goatcher produced under contract numerous drop-scenes painted to give the impression of a lustrous fabric, such as satin, so effective that the deception was not seen until close up; they were used in various theatres across America.

[5] He left with his sons James and Philip jnr for London, where he was engaged by the Adelphi Theatre, then in July 1890 was given a three-year contract by J. C. Williamson to work for him in Australia.

[6] Other triumphs in this period were the pantomimes The Merry Monarch in 1891, Beauty and the Beast with George Gordon in 1893, also Around the World in Sixty Days [yes] and Cinderella and the Little Glass Slipper at the Lyceum Theatre, Sydney in 1894.

In 1898 he won a commission to decorate the Singer Sewing Machine showroom in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building, using Wunderlich zinc ceiling tiles to create an Oriental atmosphere.

He did, however, take on several scene painting commissions in the eastern states, notably The Chocolate Soldier, which opened in Melbourne in August 1911[14] before transferring to Sydney in November, in time for his 60th birthday.

Unlike other works of art, the paintwork on act-drops was considered disposable, and at the end of a show's season the canvas, if still serviceable, would be washed down (the paint used being water-soluble) and reused for the next production.

They found a ready market by virtue of his conservative choice of subject, pleasing colors and skilful brushwork, though dismissed by critics for the same reasons.

[18] Hotchin was himself a great patron of West Australian artists, and purchased many of Goatcher's works, many finding their way to public institutions and regional art galleries.