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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones

1951
Sir William Dobell OBE

oil on composition board (frame: 134.0 cm x 114.5 cm, sight: 112.0 cm x 92.5 cm)

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones (1878–1958), merchant and arts patron, grew up in Sydney, where he studied briefly at Julian Ashton’s art school. Showing little promise as an artist, he qualified as a tailor and cutter in London. His grandfather was David Jones, and he began work in the David Jones clothing factory in 1902. By 1905, he was the store’s advertising manager; he became a director in 1906, when David Jones Limited became a public company, and was to be its chairman from 1920 to 1958, as the store expanded in Sydney and then across the country. A cofounder of Art in Australia and The Home in the 1920s, he was a trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales for twenty-four years and established the David Jones Art Gallery. He took a keen interest in music, and amongst his many other public positions was the first chairmanship of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, in 1932. That year, as a member of the Board of Control of the new Australian National Travel Association, Jones gave a lecture on ‘Selling Australia to the World’, a topic which remained of vital interest to him. The Travel Association arranged for the production and overseas distribution of posters and booklets showing Australia’s scenery, flora and fauna, and produced a booklet, ‘Talking Points’, available to any Australian travelling abroad, suggesting conversational gambits that would shed favourable light on the country. Jones persisted with his own painting, and exhibited often with the Society of Artists. Meanwhile, he built up a very significant collection of paintings by other artists. He lived at Rosemont in Ocean Street, Woollahra, and was a genial member of several clubs.

William Dobell (1899–1970) painted Jones the year he was knighted, during the six-year period in which he was commodore of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (by the time he took up the position, in 1949, he had been sailing out of the Squadron for forty-six years). Jones’s close friend, Sir Robert Menzies, gave his funeral oration.

Gift of the Simpson family in memory of Caroline Simpson OAM 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© William Dobell/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Sir William Dobell OBE (age 52 in 1951)

Sir Charles Lloyd Jones (age 73 in 1951)

Subject professions

Business, trades and industry

Donated by

Emily Simpson (6 portraits)

Louise Dobson (6 portraits)

Alice Simpson (6 portraits)

Edward Simpson (6 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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ABN: 54 74 277 1196

The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency