Item #121725 A glass paperweight featuring a photographic portrait of Fanny, an Indigenous Australian woman. Indigenous Australian Portraiture.
A glass paperweight featuring a photographic portrait of Fanny, an Indigenous Australian woman
A glass paperweight featuring a photographic portrait of Fanny, an Indigenous Australian woman
[Indigenous Australian Portraiture]

A glass paperweight featuring a photographic portrait of Fanny, an Indigenous Australian woman

A circular clear-glass paperweight (external dimensions approximately 90 mm in diameter × 14 mm), with a gelatin silver photograph (79 mm in diameter) set into the base; the name 'Fanny' appears in the centre of the image, and appears to have been added to the print by hand in ink.

A couple of short scratches and some light scuff marks to the top surface of the glass; small blemish in the negative near the hem of the skirt (possibly a fingermark); in excellent condition.

The portrait is interesting by any measure. Fanny is wearing an ankle-length skirt, blouse, and a sun hat held in place with a large spotted scarf knotted under her chin. She is standing in what appears to be a traditional South Australian back yard (the high corrugated-iron fence is a dead giveaway). Roses and a geranium are on the right; a trellis and possibly a fruit tree are on the left; a friendly-looking dog and a magpie are standing to attention on either side of her. The photographer, place and date are unknown, but we suggest the image dates from the Edwardian period.

Item #121725

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