Phillip William Goatcher (23 November 1851 – 8 October 1931), often spelled "Philip", signing his work "Phil. W. Goatcher", was an English-born theatre scene painter who had a considerable career in America and Australia. His American-born son James Goatcher followed in his father's footsteps in Sydney, then both left for Perth, Western Australia, where they set up in business as painters and decorators. In later life James Goatcher was a highly regarded watercolor artist.
Phil W. Goatcher
Goatcher was born in London, a son of Phil Goatcher (died 22 December 1897), who may have been a scenic painter. After leaving school, he signed on as an apprentice on the sailing ship True Briton.
Australia
True Briton docked at Melbourne in 1866, and he had a brief reunion with his aunt and uncle Boxall in Ballarat, and despite their entreaties returned to the ship. He again made port in Melbourne a year later, aboard Dover Castle and this time decamped and returned to Ballarat where he found employment as an assistant to the scene painter John Hennings, who took a shine to the boy and gave him some lessons, both there and with H. M. Freyberger at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, of which Hennings was a co-lessee. Around 1868 he took off with one John L. Hall for the Thames goldfields in New Zealand, but after failing to "strike it rich", took a job with Charles Massey, painting scenes for the Robert Heir company at the Theatre Royal, Grahamstown (now Onerahi). He stayed with that company until they were back in Sydney, then joined an American ship as an ordinary seaman.
America
Goatcher left the ship at San Francisco, where he soon found work, then in 1870 was taken on at John McCullough's California Theatre, painting scenery with William Porter for several of Wilson Barrett's productions. It was while working at the California that he first encountered David Belasco, J. C. Williamson and Maggie Moore. A year later he was on the road again, touring Central America and the West Indies, where he notably painted a drop-curtain for the Kingston Theatre in Jamaica. In 1871 he was in New York, painting under Matt Morgan, one of America's great scenic artists. He moved on to the old St James' Theatre, Boston, where W. H. Leake had the lease. From 1873 to 1875 he was in England, for much of that time in partnership with W. B. Spong, then abruptly and without saying goodbye, left for America. For three years he was in Philadelphia, under contract to the Kiralfy brothers, decorating their newly-acquired Alhambra Palace Theatre, and scenery for William E. Sheridan at the Chestnut Street Theatre and in New York working at Abbey's Park Theatre. That was followed by ten years at Wallack's Theatre in New York, when he did some of his best and most important work, Antony and Cleopatra for the Potter-Bellew Company, and other productions for Edwin Booth, Wilson Barrett and Lillie Langtry. He was naturalized as a US citizen in 1882. During this period he met William Elton, who would go on to an eminent career in Australia. In 1886 he was a scenic artist for Jeannette Thurber's American Opera Company. He claimed to have painted the scenes for the first American production of H.M.S. Pinafore. During the summer breaks, Goatcher produced under contract numerous drop-scenes painted to give the impression of a lustrous fabric, such as satin, so effective that the deception was not seen until close up; they were used in various theatres across America. In 1888 he joined with John H. Young in Manhattan as Goatcher & Young, scenic designers, but despite lucrative contracts such as a Macbeth production starring Lillie Langtry, and a huge cyclorama depicting the Shenandoah Valley, the shop was a commercial failure. He left with his sons James and Philip jnr for London, where he was engaged by the Adelphi Theatre, then in July 1890 was given a three-year contract by J. C. Williamson to work for him in Australia.
Australia again
His first commission on returning to Australia was as assistant to John Brunton on The Gondoliers at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne for Williamson and Arthur Garner in October 1890, followed by Buchanan and Sims' The English Rose at the Theatre Royal. Other triumphs in this period were the pantomimes The Merry Monarch in 1891, Beauty and the Beast with George Gordon in 1893, also Around the World in Sixty Days [yes] and Cinderella and the Little Glass Slipper at the Lyceum Theatre, Sydney in 1894. Topping them all was Djin Djin, the Japanese Bogie-man, with scenery from Goatcher, George and Jack Gordon, and W. B. Spong for Christmas 1895.