State Library of South Australia

Professor Archibald Watson [B 6346] • Photograph

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Summary

Professor Archibald Watson, academic, anatomist and surgeon was born in New South Wales and died on Thursday Island, Queensland. He became a successful whistle-blower and stopped the atrocious practices of Captain Armstrong from performing 'blackbirding' in the Solomon Islands. [According to a researcher, this statement is quite contrary to the truth as researched and published by Jennifer Carter in her definitive biography of Archibald Watson - 'Painting the Islands Vermilion'. Carter asks: "Was A.W. a man imprisoned by the past who could not flee?" Carter states: "Such ambivalence [as presently shown to A.W.] is typical of the Australian medical profession when confronted with the enigma of A.W. He has become as icon, typifying the eccentric individuals who no longer brighten a grey world of strict conformity where medical practitioners go in daily fear of litigation." Carter points out that in a previous biography of A.W. published under the auspices of the R.A.C.S. it is written: 'Remanded on bail to face charges of murder and kidnapping in Sydney, prudent enough to jump bail, returning to Australia in an American ship, his father, equally prudent, promptly dispatched him to England - in another American vessel'. Carter observes: "Since when, one has to ask, is flouting the law been worthy of public praise?"] He became Professor of Anatomy at the University of Adelaide in 1885. He kept prolific diaries and notebooks of his travels, accounts, surgical operations, post-mortems. He was eccentric in his dress and rode motor cycles around Adelaide. He resided in boarding houses having sold his inherited properties.

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Physical description

Photograph; 9 cm x 13.4 cm

Dates / Publication details

1899

Photographer

Wiley & Co

Collection

Part of Portrait Collection

Subject

Watson, Archibald, 1849-1940

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

Digitisation information

Date

01/08/2005

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

2,701 x 3,616 pixels (9.8 MP)

Size

29.33 MB

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