P000216 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn updated 2026-04-29 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000216b.htm person Becker Ludwig AACR2 5 September 1808 29 April 1861 Place of Birth Darmstadt, Germany Place of Death Bulloo, south of Cooper Creek, Queensland, Australia Artist Naturalist Ludwig Becker was an artist and naturalist whose early career was as an artist with the publishing and bookbinding company of Heinrich Ludwig Bronner in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. For some time he served as an officer in a rifle company. Before arriving in Australia he was in Rio de Janeiro from 1848 to 1850. Between March 1851 and November 1852 Becker was in Van Diemens Land where he was well-known as a painter of miniature portraits. For six years he lived in Melbourne and entered into the scientific and artistic life of the colony. His skills as artist and lithographer were employed by Ferdinand Mueller for his Plants indigenous to the colony of Victoria and the early volumes of his Fragmenta phytographiae australiae, and by Frederick McCoy for his Prodromus of the zoology of Victoria. In 1860 Becker was appointed artist, naturalist and geographer to the Victorian Exploring Expedition. Despite his testy relationship with the leader of the Expedition, Robert Burke, Becker made considerable contributions to the documentation of the Expedition in the form of his diary, illustrations, letters and reports, and meteorological observations. He remained at the depot camp party at Menindee when the main party travelled to Cooper Creek.

Born Darmstadt, Germany, 5 September 1808. Died Bulloo, near Cooper's Creek, 28 April 1861. Lithographic work, Frankfurt from 1828; apparently qualified as a doctor of philosophy; served for a time as an officer in a rifle company; Rio de Janeiro 1848-50; arrived Launceston 10 March 1851; painted miniatures 1851-52; gold digging in Bendigo 1852-54; meteorological observations and sketches 1852-54; illustrated works by Ferdinand von Mueller and Frederick McCoy (qq.v.); artist, naturalist and geologist on the Victorian Exploring Expedition, led by Robert Burke and William Wills (qq.v.) 1860-61. Designed the prize medal for the Victorian Exhibition of 1854.

1828 1848 Career position - Artist with Heinrich Ludwig Bronner in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany March 1851 November 1852 Career position - Miniature painter, Van Diemen's Land 1852 1854 Life event - On the Bendigo goldfield, Victoria 1854 1854 Career event - Designed the prize medal for the Victorian Exhibition 1856 1856 Career position - Member of Council, Victorian Society of Fine Arts 1856 1857 Career position - Member of Council, Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1856 1859 Career position - Member, Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1859 1859 Career position - Member of Council, Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1859 1861 Career position - Member, Royal Society of Victoria August 1860 April 1861 Career position - Artist, naturalist and geographer, Victorian Exploring Expedition Victorian Exploring Expedition (1860 - 1861)

Artist, naturalist and geographer 1860 - 1861

 Royal Society of Victoria (1859 - )

Member 1859 - 1861

 Philosophical Institute of Victoria (1855 - 1859)

Member 1856 - 1859; Member of Council 1856 - 1857 and 1859

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Becker, Ludwig (1808-1861)

Trove

 'Becker, Ludwig', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Becker, Ludwig Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: Ludwig Becker, a Scientific Dilettante: His Correspondence with J.J. Kaup and Others' Darragh, Thomas A. Ludwig Becker, a Scientific Dilettante: His Correspondence with J.J. Kaup and Others' 1997 Historical Records of Australian Science 11 4 501-522 Conference Paper: Ludwig Becker as a Geologist Darragh, Thomas A. Ludwig Becker as a Geologist Sydney International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences 1994 Useful and Curious Geological Enquiries Beyond the World: Pacific-Asia Historical Themes: The 19th International INHIGEO Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 4-8 July, 1994 D. F. Branagan and G. H. McNally 192-199 Book Section: Becker, Ludwig (1808?-1861), artist, explorer and naturalist Tipping, Marjorie J. Becker, Ludwig (1808?-1861), artist, explorer and naturalist Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1969 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 3: 1851 - 1890 A-C Douglas Pike 127-128 Journal Article: Notes on Australian Artists Dixson, W. Notes on Australian Artists 1923 Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society 9 Journal Article: The Victorian Exploring Expedition and Relieving Expeditions McLaren, I. F. The Victorian Exploring Expedition and Relieving Expeditions 1959 Victorian Historical Magazine 29 Journal Article: Native Zinc Embedded in Basalt Becker, Ludwig Native Zinc Embedded in Basalt Melbourne Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1857 Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria 1 156-158 Book: The Supply Party: Ludwig Becker on the Burke and Wills Expedition Edmond, Martin The Supply Party: Ludwig Becker on the Burke and Wills Expedition Adelaide East Street Publications 2009 Thesis: The life and work of Ludwig Becker (1808-1861) : with a critical analysis of his Australian oeuvre and an appreciation of his contribution to artistic and scientific developments in Victoria Tipping, Marjorie The life and work of Ludwig Becker (1808-1861) : with a critical analysis of his Australian oeuvre and an appreciation of his contribution to artistic and scientific developments in Victoria University of Melbourne 1978 Book: Ludwig Becker : artist & naturalist with the Burke & Wills expedition Tipping, Marjorie Ludwig Becker : artist & naturalist with the Burke & Wills expedition Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press 1979 Journal Article: Natural Observations: the Artists of Frederick McCoy's Zoology of Victoria Kean, John and Carland, Rebecca Natural Observations: the Artists of Frederick McCoy's <span style="font-style:italic">Zoology of Victoria</span> 2005 The Victorian naturalist 122 366-75 Book: Ludwig Becker: a letter from Australia Becker, Ludwig; edited by Darragh, Thomas A, and Koehler, Manfred Ludwig Becker: a letter from Australia Bacchus Marsh (Vic.) Garravembi Press 1993 Book: Australian botanist's companion George, Alex S. Australian botanist's companion Kardinya, W.A. Four Gables Press 2009 Resource: Caught & Coloured: Zoological Illustrations from Colonial Victoria Museum Victoria Caught & Coloured: Zoological Illustrations from Colonial Victoria 2006 Resource: Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators Fagg, Murray Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH) 2010 Book: Australia: 300 Years of Botanical Illustration Hewson, Helen Australia: 300 Years of Botanical Illustration Melbourne CSIRO Publishing 1999 Edited Book: The Dictionary of Australian artists : painters, sketchers, photographers and engravers to 1870 Kerr, Joan The Dictionary of Australian artists : painters, sketchers, photographers and engravers to 1870 Melbourne Oxford University Press 1992 Journal Article: Records of Victorian Botanists Maiden, J. H. Records of Victorian Botanists 1908 The Victorian naturalist 25 101-117 Journal Article: Noted colonial German scientists and their contexts McMullen, Gabrielle Noted colonial German scientists and their contexts 2015 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 127 1 9-16 Resource: Science and the making of Victoria Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Science and the making of Victoria 2001 Ludwig Becker - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Ludwig Becker - Records ML MSS 999 1850 - 1855 Letters, illustrated by sketches, 1850-55 to Dr Kaup in German; there are some English translations and photoprints of the sketches [1 volume, ML MSS 999]. 1 volume Artwork, Photographs Ludwig Becker - Records State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection Ludwig Becker - Records 1860 - 1861 Sketches and observations made during the Burke and Wills expedition c1860 (in the Burke and Wills papers). Ludwig Becker - Records National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection Ludwig Becker - Records MS 1236 1860 Letter written by Becker to F. Mueller 1860 [MS 1236]. 1 letter Australian Botanists - Biographies Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science Australian Botanists - Biographies MS 064 Hunt Institute Biographies. Short biographies, averaging 2 pages, of Australian botanists, botanical collectors or artists. 0.24 m, 3 boxes