Lucky Digger that returned, 1869, watercolour, State Library Victoria

A digger's success or failure was measured not only on the goldfields but also in terms of surviving the experience and establishing a civilised existence. Here, Gill depicts a scene of family bliss, in which the successful and well-dressed digger reclines on a sofa surrounded by his wife and child, his dog sitting contentedly at his feet. This watercolour by was published in The Victorian Gold Fields during 1852–3, the fabulous album commissioned by the trustees of the Melbourne Public Library, as the State Library Victoria was formerly known.