State Library of South Australia

Old colonists 1836-1840 [mosaic] [B 8235/1] • Photograph

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Summary

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.

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Physical description

Photographic mosaic (sepia prints); 149.5 cm x 119.5 cm (work), 170 cm x 140 cm x 7.5 cm (framed work)

Dates / Publication details

1872

Photographer

Duryea, Townsend

Collections

Part of South Australia’s Old Colonists and Settlers Photographic Mosaics Collection
Part of Photographic Mosaic Collection

Subject

Pioneers -- South Australia

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

General notes

An unpublished index was created by the Public Library of South Australia, dated November 1905 and entitled 'Index to the Collection of Photographs (by Townsend Duryea) of Old Colonists who arrived in South Australia prior to 1841'. A note by the Principal Librarian and Secretary, JRG Adams, states 'This index is incomplete and incorrect. It has been compiled from the names on the photographs themselves, which are frequently inaccurate. Whenever reliable information has been obtainable, corrections have been made. The corrections to 31 July 1903 were found from a cabinet photo of an 1840 group lent by Mr White Atkinson, Mannum 29 July 1903.' A later note attached to annotated copies of the index states that it 'sometimes gives the wrong letter [in the alpha-numeric coordinates] owing to uncertainty as to the number of portraits missing in the earlier part of the rows [23-26]. The alpha-numeric coordinates, including the misleading ones, are written in white ink onto the inside of the mosaic's glazing. This index was rendered obsolete with the creation of individual catalogue records in 2016.

Original photographic composite, compiled by Duryea, and subsequently advertised as 'the largest of all, measuring 4 ft. x 5 ft. It contains portraits of Pioneers, and those who were too young on arrival to claim that title, but are still old colonists'. This item lacks 27 portraits that can be seen in context in B 8235/2 which is a photographic copy. Twenty-two of the 'missing' portraits that have been made available online are drawn from Townsend Duryea's 'South Australian pioneers 1840' mosaic, held at B 7865. The other five missing portraits are drawn from B 8235/2; this is a small work and consequently the portraits appear to be poor quality.

Historical information

Townsend Duryea was born in Long Island, New York, North America in 1823. He arrived in Victoria in 1852 and moved to Adelaide in 1855 where he opened daguerreotype rooms over Prince's store at the corner of King William and Grenfell Streets. His studio became the most popular in Adelaide, and he was appointed as official photographer of the royal visit of the Duke of Edinburgh in 1867. Duryea's studio, including over 60,000 negatives, was destroyed by fire on 18 April 1875. He continued to operate at his second studio in Rundle Street while the original premises were rebuilt, but soon moved to the Riverina district of New South Wales and took up a selection near Yanga Lake. He died on 13 December 1888 after a buggy accident and was buried at Parkside near Balranald. This is one of seven mosaics of photographic portraits created by Adelaide photographer Townsend Duryea in 1872 to compete with his former employee Henry Jones' production of 'The Old Colonists Banquet Group', commissioned by merchant Emanuel Solomon. In early January 1872 Solomon placed advertisements in the Adelaide press inviting those men who had attended a banquet for the 35th anniversary of the founding of the colony of South Australia to have their portrait taken gratuitously at Jones' studio. Within days of the first advertisement Duryea began a series of his own advertisements inviting 'any old colonist ... whose arrival dates prior to January 1, 1841 ... to sit for his portrait'. It is evident that Duryea, who had been in business in Adelaide since 1855, also used portraits he already had in hand. Duryea advertised this mosaic as 'the largest of all, measuring 4 ft. x 5 ft., and contains portraits of Pioneers, and those who were too young on arrival to claim that title, but are still old colonists'. Copies were offered for sale in several sizes. (South Australian Register, 7 March 1873).

Digitisation information

Date

16/08/2023

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

13,434 x 16,888 pixels (226.9 MP)

Size

1.36 GB

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