'Jacky - Oodnadatta - Copyright' (a charming vintage photograph of a young Indigenous boy wearing a large cloth hat and an even bigger grin)
Unley, Chas P. Scott, [circa 1900s].
A sepia-toned postcard-format gelatin silver photograph (138 × 87 mm), blind-stamped with the photographer's details ('Chas P. Scott | Unley S.A.'); the caption is inkstamped at the head of the recto, and the verso is printed for use as a postcard.
Tiny surface chip and crease to the top right-hand corner-tip; in excellent condition.
Charles Scott (1878-1928) is 'Listed as photographer at 21A Waymouth Street, Adelaide, in directories from 1909 to 1915+, his "private residence" being given as 10 Grace Street, Goodwood Park' (Photohistory SA website). The Art Gallery of SA gives the date '1903-04' for this image in its collection; this example, with the address in Unley (an Adelaide suburb near Goodwood Park) would appear to have been produced prior to Scott's relocation to Waymouth Street. The Adelaide 'Chronicle' for 8 September 1932 quotes a letter from F.W. Marsh, formerly of Oodnadatta, reminiscing about this portrait, a copy of which hung 'in the strangers' room at Tattersalls Club. Well, Jacky Rags, when about three years old, came with two other black boys early one morning to my place in Oodnadatta. When I asked what they wanted, I was told that his father (Charlie) had killed his mother that night with a boomerang, and that Jacky had come to me for protection. I kept him for a long time, but, when he was about 15 years old, he was persuaded to ask me to allow him to go for a spell, meaning he wanted to go to the camp in the bush. I let him go, and later found that the older blacks had performed certain ceremonies on him, from which he never recovered. He developed consumption, and died a year or so later. I think living on the whites' food for so many years and then going to the bush where those to be initiated are starved until they are very weak, so that the ceremony can be performed easily, led to his early death. The name, Jacky Rags, was given him because whatever clothes he received, in a day or two they would be in rags. He was a good lad'.
Item #128025
Price (AUD):
$250.00