Tag: convict portraits

Aliases, Copies, and Misattribution

July 18, 2010

Cataloguists, librarians, archivists, students, photo historians and others in public service have made a real mess of storing and recording the accession history, numbering, and data collation on these Tasmanian prisoners’ identification photos: obliteration, reinvention, fads, guesses, fashions, and personal agendas have managed to obliterate valuable data and thus the traces of facts from their past. … More Aliases, Copies, and Misattribution

Tasmanian prisoner John Moran, photo by T. J. Nevin 1874

Prisoner John MORAN 1874

January 19, 2009

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery acquired this copy of Thomas J. Nevin’s cdv of prisoner John Moran (1874) when it was deposited there in 1983 at the conclusion of an exhibition held at the Port Arthur Heritage site, Tasman Peninsula. This cdv – and another 50 or so – were originally held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, acquired from the estate of convictaria collector John Watt Beattie in the 1930s. He had sourced them from offical prison records deemed government estrays which were either offered at auction or designated for destruction during the Lyons period of government in the 1920s. Instead of being returned to the QVMAG, this cdv of John Moran and the other 50 or so prisoner cdvs were left at the TMAG in Hobart. Some were copied as black and white images for the Archives Office of Tasmania. … More Prisoner John MORAN 1874

Poster of Thomas Nevin’s convict portraits 1870s

January 11, 2008

Who were they? They were T.J. Nevin’s sitters for police records, mostly “Supreme Court men” photographed on committal for trial at the Supreme Court adjoining the Hobart Gaol when they were isolated in silence for a month after sentencing. If sentenced for a long term at the Supreme Court Launceston, they were photographed, bathed, shaved and dressed on being received in Hobart. These procedures, past and present, were reported at length by a visitor to the Hobart Gaol and Supreme Court in The Mercury, 8th July 1882: … More Poster of Thomas Nevin’s convict portraits 1870s

Thomas Nevin’s hand-coloured mugshots

December 10, 2007

“By the MAYOR: … It was not true that between the hours of 10 and 11 o’clock on Thursday night, Constables Oakes and Priest took witness home in a state of intoxication. Witness had a photographic apparatus and chemicals in his possession. He had not made any ornaments of different colours for any one lately. He was not at any time on Thursday night under the influence of liquor. He did not think it was right to leave the Town Hall for so many hours as he had. He considered, however, that when he heard the constables’ whistle he was justified in going to render them assistance…” … More Thomas Nevin’s hand-coloured mugshots

Prison photographers T. Nevin, C. Nettleton and F. Crawford

August 4, 2007

“‘I have the honor to inform you that in obedience to your instructions I visited the stockade on the 21st and the gaol on the 22nd inst. and likewise consulted the Sheriff and Superintendent of Convicts as to the best method of carrying out the wishes of the Government in regard to taking photographs of the prisoners in these establishments. I found in the stockade 147 and in the gaol 110 prisoners – of these say 120 in the stockade and 70 in the gaol, in all 190, would be such characters as the Sheriff or Commissioner of Police might desire to have photographs of for police purposes…” … More Prison photographers T. Nevin, C. Nettleton and F. Crawford

Picture Australia convict portraits by T. J. Nevin

NLA holdings of Thomas J. Nevin’s  “Convict portraits, Port Arthur 1874”

May 22, 2007

The National Library of Australia has a long history of attribution to commercial and police photographer Thomas J. Nevin for their holdings of 84 Tasmanian “Convict portraits 1874”. Information has been archived in these areas:
The Digital Collection displays 82 images (of 84) online;
The Pictorial Catalogue lists additional names and information; and
The Photographers’ Files include accession details, correspondence, and worksheets.
The Picture Australia site has so far harvested 157 convict photographs from the NLA Collection and the Archives Office of Tasmania with T. J. Nevin’s attribution. … More NLA holdings of Thomas J. Nevin’s  “Convict portraits, Port Arthur 1874”