Arriving in Adelaide from England late 1838, William Baker Ashton was appointed first Governor of the Adelaide Gaol, a position he held until his death in 1854. Every known image of Ashton depicts his large frame engulfed by a trademark patterned waistcoat with wide-brimmed hat and walking stick. The State Library of South Australia holds all other known images of Aston by Henry Glover including the large watercolour The Governor and his Staff at the Adelaide Gaol.