Alexander Dick was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, circa 1800. Little is known about his early life, but he trained as a silversmith and acquired skills that would later make him one of most important metalworkers in colonial NSW.
Dick arrived in Sydney on the ‘Portland’ in October 1824, as a free settler, and within 18 months of arrival started his own business, advertising his services in the Sydnette Gazette in 1826. At the time, Sydney was a burgeoning town, and the demand for high-quality, locally crafted silverware was growing among the upper echelons of society, many of whom sought to assert their status through the acquisition of custom-made, finely crafted objects.
Prospering, as one of the premier silversmiths of early New South Wales, Dick was highly sought after for his craftsmanship, later employing two silversmiths, two jewellers and a servant, including silversmith and former convict Alexander Robertson, who later became a known silversmith in his own right. Dick’s work included fine dining pieces, cups, tankards, trays, and other domestic and ceremonial silverware. His style was influenced by British neoclassical designs, which were popular at the time, but he also infused elements of colonial Australian taste and sensibility into his works.
Dick was commissioned to create large ceremonial pieces for public events and individual celebrations, marking milestones in Australian colonial society. His silver works were often given as gifts during key occasions, such as the opening of new buildings or the founding of new towns. This included the foundation trowel from the new bridge at Parramatta in 1839 and it is also speculated that he made Australia’s first gold cup for the Sydney races in 1834. Most examples of Dick’s work that present to market are his flatware, shown with the example of this butter knife sold by Leonard Joel in 2024. Only a few larger presentation items of his work have survived, including this snuff box pictured, which is thought to have been made by the convict silversmith Joseph Forrester, who arrived from Scotland in 1829. Forrester worked for the well-known David Barclay firm in Hobart, Tasmania, and may have created this piece based on a design provided by Alexander Dick. It is believed that Dick traded silverware with Forrester’s employer, David Barclay, a leading figure in Hobart and a specialist in box-making. This snuff box now forms part of the Powerhouse collection.
Despite his success as a silversmith, Alexander Dick faced several misfortunes in his personal and professional life.
According to various biographical accounts of Dick’s life, the demands of his work later proved to be pressure points for Dick. When bullion were in short supply and he was unable to complete confirmed orders, Dick resorted to unsavoury means to keep up with business. On Christmas day 1826, Dick was accused of knowingly acquiring twelve dessert spoons by Thomas Jasper, stolen by persons unknown, from the residence of the Colonial secretary Alexander McLeay. Dick then restruck the spoons with his own marks and sold them to Thomas Hynde. In May 1829 Dick was indicted, followed by a lengthy trial, where Dick’s former employee and principal witness Alexander Robertson provided damning evidence which lead to his sentence of transportation to Norfolk Island for seven years. Dick was later pardoned in February 1833, and returned to Sydney to continue trading, however with much more care.
There has been speculation about this trial and whether Dick was rightfully prosecuted based on the the evidence provided and considerdations of how trials were conducted during this period, leading to the inability for the accused Dick to take the stand himself and provide his own account of the events. Silver historian, the late John Houstone published a notewrothy article in the Australiana magazine dated November 2001, which presents compelling information and speculation that Dick was likely not guilty and wrongly accused.
Another source of personal tragedy for Dick was the loss of two sons to scarlet fever in 1841, followed shortly by his own ill health, resulting in his death in 1843, after a long, drawn-out illness. Alexander Dick’s career as a silversmith is marked by both extraordinary success and unfortunate misfortunes. His exceptional skill in creating silverware helped elevate him to prominence in the colonial society of New South Wales. Nevertheless, his contributions to Australian craft and design continue to be recognized, and his legacy as a master silversmith lives on through the pieces he created.
By Chiara Curcio, Head of Decorative Arts, Design & Interiors
Top Image: Silver snuff box by Alexander Dick, 1835. Powerhouse Collection. Purchased 1977. Photograph Linda Warlond.
February 2025