1898
In 1898, the Geelong Progress League continued their advocacy for an art gallery for the people of Geelong, but had not yet secured a permanent location.
In the Geelong Advertiser on 26 April 1898, it was mentioned that prominent Geelong citizen James Whitley Sayer had been instrumental in advocating for Geelong Gallery’s existence, yet little progress was made. At the time, the Advertiser expressed concerns and hopes for Geelong Gallery—according to the article, ‘the proposal to start an art gallery in the town had not received much consideration of late, but [Sayer] trusted to see it in existence ... ’.
Sayer was a prominent figure in the establishment of Geelong Gallery, and he was also one of the earliest artists to donate works of art to our collection.