Australia: William Blandowski's illustrated encyclopaedia of Aboriginal life
(Paperback)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
Australia: William Blandowski's illustrated encyclopaedia of Aboriginal life
By (Author) Harry Allen
Edited by Mark Dugay-Grist
Edited by Luise Hercus
Edited by Brook Andrew
Aboriginal Studies Press
Aboriginal Studies Press
1st September 2010
Australia
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Cultural studies
Photographs: collections
305
Physical Properties
Paperback
176
Width 240mm, Height 290mm, Spine 18mm
926g
Description
William Blandowski was an explorer, natural scientist and artist who led a Victorian government expedition to the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers from 1856 to 1857. Australia is the first publication in English of his nineteenth-century illustrated encyclopaedia of Aboriginal life, Australien in 142 photographischen Abbildungen nach zehnjarigen Erfahrungen. In Australia, Blandowski explores the potential of images to portray the lives of people engaged in everyday activities, as well as dramatic conflicts and rituals. They include Blandowski's own photographs, and photographs of sketches or illustrations created by others, including the only nineteenth-century portrait image of the Nyeri Nyeri people. By reading Australia, we become on-the-spot participants in moments of 'first contact'.
Reviews
In a fine piece of original scholarship, Harry Allen has for the first time perceived Blandowski's original vision and brought it to a magnificent fruition one hundred and fifty years later. --Nicolas Peterson, professor, Australian National University
Author Bio
Associate Professor Harry Allen teaches in the Department of Anthroplogy at Auckland University, New Zealand. He is a Research Associate at La Trobe University. Victoria.
