Robert Hawker Dowling

Robert Hawker Dowling (1827 – 8 July 1886) was an Australian colonial artist.

He received lessons from Thomas Bock and Frederick Strange, and in 1850 advertised as a portrait painter.

Returning to Launceston he afterwards came to Melbourne and painted portraits of Sir Henry Loch, Dr James Moorhouse, Francis Ormond, and others.

Dowling was a conscientious painter of figure subjects, often scriptural or eastern.

On 2 May 2007, one of Dowling's paintings – Masters George, William and Miss Harriet Ware with the Aborigine Jamie Ware – was bought for A$823,500 by the National Gallery of Victoria.