A collection of six different vintage portrait photographs of Lieutenant (later Captain) Samuel Albert White, together with 65 personal snapshots from his Boer War days
Samuel Albert White (1870-1954) is well-known as an ornithologist and conservationist, but 'During the South African War he had two tours of duty and was temporarily promoted captain, a title he used thereafter' ('Australian Dictionary of Biography'). There are five studio portraits and one taken outdoors, with White astride a horse: he is in uniform in all instances. Three portraits are approximately 145 × 100 mm each; two are 52 × 40 mm, mounted on embossed cards, as issued; the outdoor shot is 110 × 75 mm; all prints have minor blemishes, but only one is of indifferent quality (a large studio image, quite similar in composition to another print in very good condition). The personal snapshots are mainly 75 × 110 mm or the reverse, and are with few exceptions in excellent condition. Fifteen prints are captioned in the negative with White's name and date (most often 1901); eight of these are inscribed on the verso. A further fifteen prints are also inscribed on the verso. The early inscriptions are in pencil; later ones are in shaky ballpoint pen by a clearly elderly Samuel White. The images cover a wide range of activities, both military and social, and many of them have a genuine spontaneity about them. The private use of the camera by (Australian) soldiers on active service during the Boer War was not commonplace, and collections of this nature are rarely found on the open market.
Item #110867
Price (AUD):
$3,500.00