mosaics • Find • State Library of South Australia

South Australian Pioneers 1839 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 16006

The 1839 mosaic includes portraits of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh and Governor George Gawler above 224 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived in on both sides of and below the portraits. The mosaic, which is mounted on fabric, is in very poor condition. The graphic copy, made in 1962, may be viewed in the reading room.

The Old Colonists Banquet Group [mosaic]

Jones, Henry, 1873, Photograph, B 47769

Photographic mosaic (composite) bearing the inscription 'The Old Colonists Banquet Group: Duplicate of one Presented to E. Solomon Esq by H. Jones, Photographer for his liberality in giving the Banquet, Decr 1871'. This is one of at least three mosaics of photographic portraits created by Adelaide photographer Henry Jones to commemorate an Old Colonists' Banquet. The banquet was organised by merchant Emanuel Solomon at the Adelaide Town Hall on 28 December 1871 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the founding of the colony of South Australia. The subtitle on this version states that it is a 'duplicate' of a mosaic presented to Solomon. In January 1872 Solomon placed advertisements in the Adelaide press inviting those men who had attended the banquet to have their portrait taken gratuitously at Jones' studio. A glass plate negative of a different version is held by the State Library of South Australia at PRG 631/3. It may represent the one presented to Solomon before his death in October 1873. This mosaic (B 47769) was owned by pastoralist Thomas Bowman who donated it, together with a companion mosaic of women colonists (B 19985), to the Public Library of South Australia in 1909. The mosaic contains 515 portraits. They are ostensibly arranged by the colonists' year of arrival in South Australia, from 1835 to 1840. It is evident that 71 portraits were added to the mosaic at leasat 15 years after its production and probably before it was donated to the Library: other photographers' work are included, portrait styles and photographic paper stocks differ significantly and some portraits show subjects many years older than they were in 1872. The placements of these later additions bear no relationship to the colonist's year of arrival. Also, about 56 of those depicted by Jones and among the additional portraits arrived in the colony after 1840 and 13 were born in South Australia. One of the additional portraits is the photographer Henry Jones, erroneously placed in the section for 1836 arrivals.

Old colonists 1836-1840 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 8235/1

The photographic composite (mosaic) B 8235/1 holds 708 portraits. A further 27 in the upper left section are missing due to damage. (An unnamed portrait has been placed in the gap at B 8235 23E, instead of the portrait of John Moore missing due to damage .) A newspaper article that refers to the donation of the mosaic to the Public Library of South Australia in 1894 by Mr CH Hussey of Port Elliot states that it was damaged when Duryea's studio was destroyed by fire on 18 April 1875. (The Advertiser, 17 November 1910.) Mr Hussey's portrait is at B 8235/1 1A.

South Australian pioneers [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 47770

This mosaic holds 581 portraits, and represents a combined group of those portraits Duryea depicted in separate mosaics featuring male colonists who arrived in South Australia as adults in 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839 and 1840. All but three of the portraits on B 47770 are also included in Duryea's largest mosaic at B 8235.

The Old Colonists Banquet Group [mosaic]

Gall, Ernest, 1894, Photograph, PRG 631/3

Glass plate negative of one of at least two mosaics of photographic portraits created by Adelaide photographer Henry Jones to commemorate an Old Colonists' Banquet. The banquet was organised by merchant Emanuel Solomon at the Adelaide Town Hall on 28 December 1871 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the founding of the colony of South Australia. This image lacks the subtitle dedication 'Duplicate of one Presented to E. Solomon Esq by H. Jones, Photographer for his liberality in giving the Banquet, Decr 1871' that is included on a different version held by the State Library of South Australia at B 47769. The mosaic contains portraits of 444 men, having none of the 71 portraits added to B 47769 after its initial production. Because of this, PRG 631/3 may represent the version of the mosaic presented to Solomon before his death in October 1873. The dedication may have been removed from the bottom of the mosaic after Solomon's death. Twenty-six of the portraits show the subjects in slightly different poses than depicted in B 47769. Their clothing is identical, indicating that the different portraits were taken at the same sitting at Jones' studio. The glass plate negative has written on it '1894. This copy made by Ernest Gall'. Because this version of the mosaic duplicates many of those on B 47769, only those that are different are linked to this record. To see other pioneers, do an ARCHIVAL NUMBER search on B 47769.

South Australian Pioneers 1836 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 16005

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1838', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. The mosaic includes a painting of the Old Gum Tree and a portrait of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh above 47 portraits. The handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived in on both sides of the portraits.

South Australian Pioneers 1838 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 7864

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1838', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. This mosaic includes portraits of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh and Governor George Gawler above 116 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived in on both sides of the portraits.

South Australian Pioneers 1838 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 47455

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1838', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. This mosaic includes portraits of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh and Governor George Gawler above 116 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived in on both sides of the portraits.

South Australian pioneers 1840 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 7865

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1838', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. This mosaic includes portraits of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh and Governor George Gawler above 127 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived below the portraits.

The Old Colonists Banquet Group [mosaic]

Jones, Henry, 1873, Photograph, B 7677

A photographic copy of a mosaic of photographic portraits created by Adelaide photographer Henry Jones to commemorate an Old Colonists' Banquet organised by merchant Emanuel Solomon at the Adelaide Town Hall on 28 December 1871. The original mosaic is held by the State Library of South Australia at B 47769. B 7677 contains 507 men's portraits, eight less than B 47769. Several identical copies of B 7677 exist, suggesting that it was produced for sale. It was donated to the Public Library of South Australia by photographer Ernest Gall in 1938.

South Australian Pioneers 1836 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 47454

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1838', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. The mosaic includes a painting of the Old Gum Tree and a portrait of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh above 47 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived in on both sides of the portraits.

South Australian pioneers 1840 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 47456

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1838', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. This mosaic includes portraits of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh and Governor George Gawler above 127 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived below the portraits.

Group of [women] Old Colonists [mosaic]

Jones, Henry, 1872, Photograph, B 19985

Photographic mosaic (composite)arranged by Adelaide photographer Henry Jones bearing the inscription 'Group of Old Colonists'. The majority of the women depicted arrived in South Australia, or were born there, between 1836 and 1840. In May 1872 Jones placed advertisements in the Adelaide press inviting 'lady old colonists' to attend his studio to have their portraits taken for 'a companion group' to the mosaic he has creating of men who attended the Old Colonists Banquet at the Adelaide Town Hall on 28 December 1871 (see B 47769). Women had been excluded from the banquet by its host Emanuel Solomon. Jones began photographing women in June 1872 and was still taking photographs for the mosaic in 1881, the year that the work was completed. The mosaic was later owned by pastoralist Thomas Bowman who donated it to the Public Library of South Australia in 1909. The mosaic contains 598 portraits arranged in roughly alphabetical order.

South Australian Pioneers 1837 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 18891

A collection of studio portraits under the title 'South Australian Pioneers 1837', with 'T. Duryea, Adelaide, 1872' at the bottom. This mosaic includes a portrait of Governor Sir John Hindmarsh above 58 portraits, and the handwritten names of the colonists are listed under the ships they arrived in on both sides of the portraits.

Old colonists 1836-1840 [mosaic]

Duryea, Townsend, 1872, Photograph, B 8235/2

Photographic copy of B 8235/1, mounted on card , containing 734 portraits and handwritten alphanumeric coordinates. This print represents the original mosaic (B 8235/1) before it was damaged by fire and lost 27 portraits. It would have been one of the smaller versions of the original mosaic that Duryea made available for sale. It was purchased by the South Australian Archives from the Old Curiosity Shop, Rundle Street, Adelaide in 1939.

[Early settlers, Port Lincoln and Western Districts - series 2]

c. 1918, Photograph, B 8503

Untitled photographic composite by an unknown creator comprising 26 portraits of men who were early European settlers of the Port Lincoln and west coast regions of Eyre Peninsula. At some stage in its history the mosaic was cut into halves. They were transferred to the State Library of South Australia (then Public Library) by the South Australian Branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia in 1939 and assigned the numbers B 8503 and B 8504. In 2011 Artlab Australia conservators removed the photographs and original support paper from backing cardboard and reassembled the complete mosaic using acid-free materials.