Oscar Fristrom

Carl Magnus Oscar Friström (1856 – 26 June 1918), generally known as Oscar Fristrom, was a portrait painter and art teacher born in Sweden, who had a substantial career in Queensland and South Australia, and was best known for his depictions of Aboriginal Australians.

History

Oscar was born a son of C. Friström of Sweden, and may have come to Australia as a sailor. He worked for a time in Hutchison's Elite Photographic Studios in Queen Street, Brisbane before taking up painting as a full-time occupation.

He was largely self-taught, but his second oil painting was of sufficient merit to be shown at the 1886 Brisbane Exhibition.

He was, with L. W. K. Wirth, James Laurence Watts, and Walter Jenner, in 1888 a founding member of the Queensland Art Society. This led to R. Godfrey Rivers working for the foundation of the Queensland National Art Gallery.

He left for Adelaide in September 1893, where he found employment with Fritz & Co. photographic studio, and in November was accepted as a member of the Adelaide Easel Club. He returned to Brisbane in September 1894.

The Society of Artists went into decline around 1901. In 1904 a new Society of Artists was formed; meetings were held in Fristrom's studio in "Oakden Chambers", Queen Street. Fristrom was its president at the time of his death, as well as a member of the advisory board of the Queensland National Art Gallery.

Family

Oscar married Caroline Rooke (1865 – 17 July 1948) of Breakfast Creek, Queensland; in 1911 they settled at Mooloolah, Queensland, later moved to Caloundra, then 52 Wharf Street, Brisbane. She was well known as a musician and music teacher. They had two children:

• Carl (25 March 1886 – ) married Ruby May Rooke (his cousin?) on 20 August 1921.
• Alma Christina (6 July 1889 – 2 December 1943) married Samuel Burgess; they lived at Caloundra.

Oscar had a brother Edward Friström, also an artist in Brisbane, and from 1903 in New Zealand. He married Margaret Johnston of South Brisbane in July 1886; they had a daughter Olivia, a promising pianist, and a son. Another brother, Tage Edward Friström, a member of the US Voluntary Infantry, was killed in 1898 fighting Spain in Manila.

Dying in 1918, his funeral moved from the funeral parlour of John Hislop & Sons to the South Brisbane Cemetery.