South African and International Art
Live Auction, 12 November 2012
Evening Sale
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
About this Item
The album contains 47 original photographs and one original watercolour each with a detailed description in the artist's hand below the photograph. Also included is a portrait photograph of the artist. The album contains two contemporary accounts of the paintings, one from the Natal Colonist November 17th 1874 and two printed poems by 'Timothy Touch 'Em Off Poet Unlaureate'. These two poems, titled An Adventure in Africa and Song of the Times are, according to Jane Carruthers, the work of Thomas Baines and have annotations by him relating to paintings 14 and 25 in the album.
The album dates from 1874, the year before Baines died in Durban. Many of the works illustrated were commissions which Baines received in the latter years of his life. The Hon. Guy Dawnay met Baines in Natal and commissioned fifteen paintings between 1872 and 1874. The majority of these paintings were sold at Christie's in London in 1984 and 1992. Another commission he received was from Edmund Bryon who met Baines in 1873. He published an account of his travels entitled What we did in South Africa in 1873. The manuscript is in a private collection in Johannesburg and varies from the printed version.
The last years of Baines’ life were difficult. Arnold and Carruthers in The Life and Work of Thomas Baines, Fernwood Press, 1995, state 'when the Goldfields Company failed leaving Baines with heavy debts, he raised funds by giving lectures in the Grey Institute in Port Elizabeth....'
It is possible that this album might have been a draft for a book that Baines intended to publish to help pay off some of his debts. The use of photographs would have been a way of reducing the cost of publishing the book.
Notes
The works illustrated in the album are as follows: (The numbers in brackets relate to the numbering in the album).
Where known the original owner and the present owner of the work are noted.
1 PORTRAIT OF THOMAS BAINES
2 (1) 'LION FAMILY IN THE TSETSE FLY COUNTRY….' Guy Dawnay collection now in the Sanlam collection.
3 (2) 'DEAD BUFFALO ZULU LAND ….' Guy Dawnay collection now in the Sanlam collection.
4 (3) 'THE BLACK RHINOCEROS THE VICIOUS SPECIES….'
5 (4) 'THE WHITE RHINOCEROS THE QUIET SPECIES….' Guy Dawnay collection original watercolour.
6 (5) 'THE LADIES VISIT TO THE GIRAFFE OLIFANTS RIVER ….' Edmund Bryon collection. This painting was destroyed in a fire.
7 (6) 'HIPPOPOTAMUS IN A POOL ON THE OLIFANTS RIVER….' Edmund Bryon collection now in a private collection in Johannesburg.
8 (7) 'THE ELAND DRIVEN HOME TO MANGWE RIVER….' Guy Dawnay collection now in a private collection in South Africa.
9 (8) 'THE KOODOO ZULU LAND….' Guy Dawnay collection now in a private collection in South Africa.
10 (9) 'A DISTANT VIEW OF THE VICTORIA FALLS ZAMBEZI RIVER….'
11 (10) 'VEGA CAMP MONOTI RIVER….'
12 (11) 'RENDEZVOUS CAMP TUGELA RIVER….'
13 (12) 'THE RIVAL ISIMBONGI ZULU LAND…..'
14 (13) 'KWAMAGWASA OR ST. MARY’S, MACKENZIE MEMORIAL….'
15 (14) 'THE NATAL CARBINEERS OPPOSING THE PASSAGE OF THE REBEL TRIBE OF LANGALIBALELE….'
Arnold, M and Carruthers, J, The Life and Work of Thomas Baines, Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, 1995, page 75.
There is a long description of this painting which is now in the Kwazulu Archives.
16 (15) 'D’URBAN AND PORT NATAL FROM MR CURRIES RESIDENCE….' Now in the Local History Museum Durban.
17 (16) 'THE VICTORIA MOUNTED RIFLES IN THEIR TENT AT RENDEZVOUS CAMP TUGELA RIVER….'
18 (17) 'LEOPARD BEKRUYPING A GROUP OF PALLAHS….'
19 (18) 'A HERD OF BUFFALOES CROSSING THE MACLOUTSIE RIVER….' Guy Dawnay collection now in the Sanlam collection.
20 (19) 'LIONS CROSSING THE LIMPOPO RIVER AT WEGDRAAI….' Now in the Brenthurst library.
21 (20) 'DYING AVENGED, THE SABLE ANTELOPE CEASED BY A LION.…'
22 (21) 'THE MOSI-O-A-TUNYA (SMOKE RESOUNDING)….' Guy Dawnay collection now in a private collection in Cape Town.
23 (22) 'VICTORIA FALLS, HERD OF BUFFALOS DRIVEN TO THE EDGE OF THE CHASM…..'
24 (23) 'A LAKE OR EXPANSION OF A RIVER IN ZULU LAND….' Guy Dawnay collection now in a private collection in Cape Town.
25 (24) 'FIVE LIONS EATING A QUAGGA ZULU LAND….' Guy Dawnay collection now in the Sanlam collection.
26 (25) 'THE BLACK RHINOCEROS CHARGING OUT OF A DENSE BUSH ZULU LAND….' Guy Dawnay collection now in the Sanlam collection.
27 (28) 'DRINKING TIME, A GROUP OF KOODOOS….'
28 (29) 'OUTSPAN BY MOONLIGHT ZULU LAND….' Guy Dawnay collection now in a private collection South Africa.
Michael Stevenson and Deon Viljoen, South African Art 1850-2003, catalogue number 5.
29 (30) 'GOLDEN AND IVORY, ELEPHANTS CHARGING….' Guy Dawnay collection now in the Sanlam collection.
30 (30A) 'A DIFFERENT TREATMENT OF NO30….'
31 (31) 'UNION COMPANY’S ROYAL MAIN STEAMER KAFIR CROSSING THE BAR FROM PORT NATAL….'
32 (32) 'VAN REENENS PASS IN THE DRAKENSBERG….'
33 (33) 'ALOE BAINESII SOUTH OF THE TUGELA GOLD FIELDS NATAL….'
34 (34) 'WHAT LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF THE GOLD FIELDS….' Now in the National Archives in Zimbabwe.
35 (35) 'WAGON CROSSING THE RIVER AMAZINTOTE NEAR THE COAST OF NATAL….' Now in the South African National Gallery Cape Town.
36. 'MRS HART’S PONY ‘GINGER’ DEVOURED BY A LIONESS….'
37 (36) 'A KRAAL IN ZULU LAND….'
38 'PIRACY IN THE AIR….' Guy Dawnay collection now in a private collection Johannesburg.
39 'WEST AFRICAN FETISH OR WAR GOD ON THE CONGO RIVER….'
40 'THE BLUFF CHANNEL AND INNER BAY OF NATAL….'
41 'HIPPOPOTAMUS IN THE SHALLOWS….'
42 'A OX SEIZED BY A CROCODILE AT THE IMPOPOMENE LIMPOPO RIVER….' The Late Frank Bradlow collection.
43 'WRECK OF THE FRENCH BRAQUE ANNE OF NANTES NEAR ZWARTKOP RIVER….'
44 'WRECK OF THE BRITISH BARQUE LYTTLETON IN ALGOA BAY….'
45 'LANDING OF THE BRITISH SETTLERS OF 1820 IN ALGOA BAY….'
46 'PORT ELIZABETH ALGOA BAY 1874….'
47 'RUINS OF ZIMBABYE OR ZIMBAOE….'
48 'THE RUINS OF ZIMBABYE. THE INTERIOR OF THE GREAT RONDEAU….'
Provenance
The album bears an inscription which reads “This is the property of Mrs J. Crozier Richards, 2 Somerset St. Grahamstown”.
There is also the name L. Crozier Richards inscribed in the book.
Other lots that might interest you
