IDNO

P.85662.ACH2

Description

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.247.ACH1: “Different tattoo of the Australian men. 1 & 2 Lower Murray river. 3. McGrah’s flat. 4. Guichen bay.”

Composite plate of three-quarter-length portraits of four Aboriginal men showing their differing cicatrisation and tattoo patterns on their fronts and backs. The men are from (left to right) :
1 & 2. Lower Murray river. The men have cicatrisation in double lines across their chests, stomachs and arms and diagonal lines on their chests.
3. McGrah’s Flat. This man has tattoos resembling Persian writing.
4. Guichen Bay. This man has cicatrisation on his right shoulder and has a piece of cloth draped around him. [See Blandowski 1862, fig. 77]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Victoria; Lower Murray River; McGrah’s Flat; Guichen Bay

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

von Blandowski, Wilhelm [Artist]

Collector / Expedition

von Blandowski, William [Blandowski Expedition to the Lower Murray River, 1857]

Date

1862

Collection Name

Haddon Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.85635. to P.85723. were tied together in a bundle.

Bibliographical Reference: Blandowski, William von, 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen (Unpublished), with the caption “Aborigines of Australia, Plate 149. William v. Blandowski, Australia. The Different Tatooing of the Australian Men. Lower Murray River; McGrah’s Flat; Guichen Bay”. [JD 23/8/2007]

Bibliographical Reference: For discussion of authorship see: Allen, H. 2006. Authorship and ownership in Blandowski's Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen. Australasian Historical Archaeology 24:31-37. [Jane Lydon, Monash University, 8/7/2009]

CUMAA Exhibition: P.84112.ACH2 to P.85713.ACH2 were on display in the SSL as part of the Brook Andrew ‘The Island’ Exhibition, 24th June - 27th September 2008. [JD 25/6/2008]

Publication: Blandowski, W. 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen Ahbildungen. Gustav Neumann, Gleiwicz. Edited by Harry Alien. Translated from the German by Lillian Barton. Translation Copyright: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2007. with the caption:
“77. The men on the lower Murray River first cut double lines across their chests, stomachs and arms and then, restricted to their chests further cuts, deep long diagonal, ones, are made over the first. On their backs they have 8 inch long ones in 3 rows. On the Mac-Grahs-plain one finds the tattoos again resembling the Persian writing. One can question if these marks have anything to do with the holy language, which Zoroaster mentions, and might be the leftovers of old religious rituals. These tattoos deserve a very close examination and are worth being m a collection. Itwould be a worthwile assignment for the Humboldt and Ritter Foundation. Drawing by W.v. Blandowski.” [WV 2/4/2009]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 23/8/2007]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Aboriginal Visual Histories Project, Monash University. [Wonu Veys 2/4/2009]