A signed portrait photograph of Peter Dawson by Tornquist, Wellington, New Zealand
A vintage sepia-toned gelatin silver photograph (visible image size 237 × 185 mm), behind glass in a contemporary slight wooden frame; the dark ink inscription has turned a lighter colour in parts, and is now a little diffuse; overall, in excellent condition.
The inscription, in the top left-hand corner, is 'Vera & Harold Gard | with all good wishes | Peter Dawson | 28/10/31'. Vera Thrush and her husband Harold Gard were Adelaide singers active in the local opera scene at the time. They travelled to England and Italy in 1924-25 to study grand opera. Adelaide-born Peter Dawson (1882-1961) was initially apprenticed to his father, an ironworker and plumber. His parents also encouraged his appreciation of music, and he went on to became an internationally-acclaimed baritone. He was one of the first artists to have faith in the gramophone and his fifty-year recording career with His Master's Voice made him a household name in many countries, with sales of more than 13 million records of 3500 titles. He also composed many songs ('Australian Dictionary of Biography'). The National Library of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery in London have a different Tornquist portrait of Dawson in their collections; an image search online failed to locate another copy of this particular one.
Item #108350
Price (AUD):
$450.00