Frederick McCubbin

Frederick McCubbin was born on February 25, 1855, in West Melbourne. While working as a baker's cart driver in his family's bakery, McCubbin studied at the National Gallery School of Victoria, where he would later teach for over three decades, mentoring generations of Australian artists.

Known affectionately as 'The Proff' for his gentle, philosophical temperament, McCubbin co-founded the Heidelberg School with Roberts and Streeton. His celebrated paintings—including Down on His Luck (1889), Lost (1886), and his iconic 1904 triptych The Pioneer—imbued the eucalyptus bush with profound emotional empathy, depicting settlers struggling against an indifferent wilderness.