Charles Nuttall, John Batman, c. 1912, charcoal and pencil on white paper, State Library Victoria. Gift of Mrs Iris Weire, 1991.

John Batman was born in Parramatta on 21 January 1801. His father, William Batman, had been transported to New South Wales for receiving stolen goods. No authentic contemporary portrait of John Batman is known today. In 1882 the Illustrated Australian news published a portrait of Batman 'from a likeness supplied by his grandson', Austin Batman Weire. Either Charles Nuttall had direct access to this 'likeness' or he was working from that illustration (the 'old print' referred to on the portrait). In either case, his drawing has the character of a generic illustration, rather than an accurate portrait of a specific individual.