• Title
  Quong Tart, ca. 1880s
• Call number
  ML 1346
  Status: On display – Paintings from the Collection, Room 3, East Wall, no. 286
  
• Level of description
  fonds
• Date
  
  ca. 1880s
• Type of material
  Graphic Materials, Paintings
• Reference code
  441601
• Issue Copy
  Digitised
• Physical Description
  1 painting - oil on canvas - approx. 61 x 45.5 cm
  
• ADMINISTRATIVE/ BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
  
  Quong Tart (1850-1903) was a prominent Chinese tea merchant and restaurateur, opening a series of popular teahouses in Sydney between 1881-1898. A Chinese community leader, he was awarded the title of Mandarin of the Fourth rank by China's Emperor Kuang Hsu in 1894 for his efforts towards Chinese-Australian relations. He successfully bridged both worlds and was the first Chinese public figure to be fully accepted by the wider community of NSW. This was a remarkable feat given the anti-Chinese sentiments of the day.
  
  Reference:
  Mitchell Library file
• Scope and Content
  The portrait is a strong image of Quong Tart probably aged in his 30s, approaching the height of his entrepreneurial career. It is a 3/4 length, head and torso view, possibly painted by a Chinese artist based on an earlier photographic portrait. This was a relatively common thing, with Sydney agents sending works over to China to be painted by local artists. Quong Tart also made three return visits to China in 1881, 1888 and 1894. This portrait could have been painted on his second visit in 1888.
• Copying Conditions
  Out of copyright: Artist died before 1955
  Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State of New South Wales
• General note
  
  This work was conserved in 2004 as part of the Library's ongoing paintings conservation program.
  Digital order no:Album ID : 874686
• Name
  Tart, Quong, 1850-1903
  
• Subject
  Portraits.
  
• Topic
  Chinese peoples
  
• Exhibited in
  
  Australian Portraits Timeline - National Portrait Gallery (Australia) (3 December, 2008 - 31 December, 2011)
  Celestial city - Museum of Sydney
  Paintings from the Collection - State Library of New South Wales (October, 2018 - )
• Open Rosetta viewer
  IE3222208

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