Charles Decimus Barraud facts for kids
Charles Decimus Barraud (born May 9, 1822 – died December 26, 1897) was a talented person from New Zealand who worked as both a pharmacist and an artist. He was the tenth child in his family, born in Camberwell, England.
A New Home in New Zealand
Charles and his family moved all the way to New Zealand, arriving in a city called Wellington in August 1849. His wife was a cousin of a judge named Henry Samuel Chapman. Judge Chapman encouraged them to move and even lent them a small house when they first arrived. They lived there until their own home was ready.
Charles's Life and Work
Charles Barraud quickly opened a shop on Lambton Quay where he worked as a pharmacist. A pharmacist is someone who prepares and sells medicines. At the same time, he also started to become known as an artist. At first, people thought of him as an "enthusiastic amateur," meaning he loved art and was good at it, but it wasn't his main job. He mostly used watercolors for his paintings.
In 1850, he painted the children of Henry William Petre. However, a visitor named Charlotte Godley wanted a portrait of her son, Arthur, but she wasn't very impressed with Charles's art at that time. She said that while his paintings looked like the people, they weren't very good. Even so, Charles continued to paint and gained recognition for his work.
His Family Life
Charles Barraud married Sarah Maria Style on March 17, 1849, in England. They had a large family together, with six sons and three daughters.
