Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed online 23 September, 2019: (Robert Hawker Dowling (1827-1886), artist, was born in England, the youngest son of Rev. Henry Dowling and his wife Elizabeth, née Darke. At 7 he went to Van Diemen's Land with his parents in the Janet. As a youth he was deeply impressed by the tragedy of the Tasmanian Aboriginals. He was educated at Launceston and became a saddler. He showed an early ability for drawing and took lessons from Thomas Bock and Frederick Strange. In August 1850, encouraged by his father, he changed his trade sign 'saddler' to 'portrait painter'.) http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dowling-robert-hawker-3437
Australian Dictionary of Biography, viewed online 23 September, 2019: (In 1856 Dowling left for London partly with the help of friends in Launceston. He exhibited 16 pictures at the Royal Academy between 1859 and 1882 and others at the British Institute. Returning to Launceston he afterwards came to Melbourne and painted portraits of Sir Henry Loch, Dr James Moorhouse, Francis Ormond, and others. He went to London again in 1886 but died shortly after his arrival.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hawker_Dowling