Aboriginal • Find • State Library of South Australia

Alexander Tolmer

Hammer & Co., c. 1870, Photograph, B 11291

[General description] Head and shoulders portrait in seven eighths view of Alexander Tolmer, colonial militiaman, and mounted policeman who was Inspector of Mounted Police from 1840. He was very successful in that role, spending much time in the bush pursuing bushrangers, cattle duffers and other miscreants and quelling trouble between whites and Aborigines. He was appointed Commissioner of Police from January 1852 during which time he established the gold escort from Victoria to South Australia. He was demoted to Superintendent in November 1853.

Hubert Frank Tripp.

Sladdin, John, c. 1897, Photograph, B 34316

Ephraim Tripp with his children Hubert Frank ('Skewy') Tripp with Florence Maud Tripp.

Tommy Walker

c. 1850, Photograph, B 11020

[General description] Portrait of Poltpalingada Booboorowie (Tommy Walker) a Ngarrindjeri man who was a well known 'fringe dwelling' Adelaide identity in the later 1800s.

Queen Ethel Watson

c. 1900, Photograph, B 30814

Queen Ethel Watson.

Lawrence Allen Wells

c. 1936, Photograph, B 8441

Lawrence Allen Wells, Leader of the Calvert Expedition to the Australian Desert. He was a born at Penola and after a career as a surveyor and explorer he was known as the last of the great inland explorers. He was modest, reticient and a friend of Aboriginals where he was known as the Eagle-eyed Man.

Leslie Andrew Wilkie

1926, Photograph, B 6405

Leslie A. Wilkie, Australian artist. He was born in Melbourne, 1878 and educated at Brunswick College, Victoria. He became President of SA Society of Artists in 1932 and undertook further study in Europe in 1904, later becoming Curator of the Art Gallery of SA. In 1934 he painted portraits of Aboriginals near Cooper Creek during an anthropological expedition to Central Australia. He died in Adelaide after an appendix operation in 1935.

William Wyatt

c. 1870, Photograph, B 927

William Wyatt, an influential early settler in South Australia, who contributed much to the public life of the colony especially in the fields of medicine, education, Aboriginal affairs and civic administration. He founded the Wyatt Benevolent Trust in February 1881. He is wearing an embroidered levee dress uniform with bicorn hat and ceremonial sword to which he was entitled as a high level civil servant, following the British court tradition.

William Wyatt

c. 1868, Photograph, B 6991

William Wyatt, surgeon, landowner, public servant, coroner, indigenous culture recorder, magistrate, protector of Aboriginals, school inspector, ship's surgeon.

Captain Barker Memorial

c. 1902, Photograph, B 3666

This photograph is of the Captain Collet Barker Memorial tablet at St. James' Church Sydney. The text engraved upon it reads: ' Sacred to the memory of Captain Collet Barker of His Majesty's 39th Regiment of Foot who was treacherously murdered by the Aboriginal natives on the 30th April 1831 while endeavouring in the performance of his duty to ascertain the communication between Lake Alexandrina and the Gulf of St Vincent on the south west coast of New Holland. In token of esteem for the singular worth and in affectionate remembrance of the many virtues of the deceased. This tablet is erected by Colonel Lindesay CB and his brother officers.' [On back of photograph] 'Tablet erected in St. James' Church, Sydney. See proceedings of Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, S.A. Branch, Vol. VI 1902-03 page 28'.

Nullarbor Camel Team

1932, Photograph, B 7953

Nullarbor Camel Team. This shows a team of ten camels pulling a cart loaded with bales of wool leaving Nullarbor Station for Fowlers Bay. The Station is 120 miles west of Fowlers Bay. Two Aboriginal workers are standing next to the camel team.

Elder's Exploration Expedition

1891, Photograph, B 10340

Start of Elder's Exploring Expedition : April/May 1891. Sir Thomas Elder financed this ambitious expedition to discover the inland deserts in South Australia and Western Australia. The leader was David Lindsay and the14 man expedition which left Warrina west of Oodnadatta in 1891. The 6886 kilometre journey covered 200,000 square kilometres and collected 150 new species of insects and 19 new species of plants. Richard Helms was the naturalist and Victor Streich was the geologist. Lawrence Allen Wells was the surveyer. They made notes on the Aboriginal people they encountered on the way. The expedition travelled with 44 camels. The photograph identifies 4 of the men in the expedition.

Leichardt's Expedition

c. 1881, Photograph, B 11305

[General description] Three men are arranged around a small table, two of them seated. They took part in Leichardt's expedition which was supposed to be of six months duration but took fourteen and a half months. One of the expedition members, ornithologist John Gilbert, was killed in an attack by Aborigines. [On back of photograph] 'Members of Leichardt's 1844-5 expedition (Moreton Bay to Port Essington) Left to right: James S. Calvert, John Murphy, and John Roper'

Sketch by William Westall

Westall, William, 1802, Artwork, B 15953

Sketch by William Westall

Westall, William, 1802, Artwork, B 15955

[General description] This sketch depicts a landscape featuring water, probably a bay or inlet with distant hills. Two Aboriginal people are in the foreground. [On back of photograph] 'A sketch by William Westall / Westall was the official artist on HMS Investigator'

Charles Sturt's Grave

c. 1960, Photograph, B 16282

Charles Sturt's grave near Prestbury, Cheltenham, England. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men.

Charles Sturt's Grave

c. 1965, Photograph, B 16283

Charles Sturt's grave Prestbury, near Cheltenham, England. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men.

Charles Sturt's Grave

c. 1965, Photograph, B 16284

Charles Sturt's grave Prestbury near Cheltenham, England. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men. The grave stone remembers Charles Sturt, his wife Dame Charlotte, their daughter Charlotte Sturt, and Charlotte's friend and companion Eve Golding.

Charles Sturt's Residence

c. 1965, Photograph, B 16285

Charles Sturt's residence, 19 Clarence Square, Cheltenham, England. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men.

Charles Sturt's Residence

c. 1965, Photograph, B 16286

Charles Sturt's residence, 19 Clarence Square, Cheltenham, England. Charles Sturt lived here from 1863- 1869. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men.

Charles Sturt's Plaque

c. 1965, Photograph, B 16288

Charles Sturt's Plaque on the wall of a house at 19 Clarence Square, Cheltenham, England. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men.

Charles Sturt's Grave

c. 1965, Photograph, B 16292

Charles Sturt's Grave at Prestbury near Cheltenham. The British explorer of Australia is remembered as an ideal family man. He was a careful and accurate observer and an intelligent interpreter of what he saw. He prided himself on his impeccable treatment of Aboriginals and earned the respect and liking of his men. The grave stone remembers Charles Sturt, his wife Dame Charlotte, their daughter Charlotte Sturt, and Charlotte's friend and companion Eve Golding.