PHOTGRAPH

The first impression is of a painting rather than a photograph, so heavily has it been coloured. Two men are featured, well dressed in long, cream-coloured trousers and both with identically textured long sleeved shirts rolled up to the elbow to reveal an under garment, and both wearing hats and a red sash at the waist. One figure is standing, half leaning on a shovel and looking directly ahead. He wears a fob watch on a chain at his waist. The second is down on one knee next to a pick and a bucket with a rope, gazing intently at a gold pan and the large gold nugget between them. On his fingers two rings can be seen. Some stones and grass can be seen in the foreground and behind the men, trees. The front mounting of carboard has been treated to give a dark woodgrain appearance. The reverse mounting is plain brown cardboard inscribed in dark ink: 'FINDING OF THE/ VISCOUNT CANTERBERRY [sic and written CanterBerry] NUGGET/ JOHNSON'S PADDOCK/ BERLIN DIGGINS [sic]/ VICTORIA/ 31st MAY 1871/ WEIGHT 1104oz 9 DWT [does not look like cwt]/ THIS IS THE JOHN DAVIES & SLOCHMAN/ ORIGINAL [sic] PHOTOGRAPH COLOURED'. Beneath, in larger writing is the signature 'D.W. DAVIES'. Bracketed at one side '15 FT DEPTH' is written. Both the weight and Davis and Slochman are written in blue and possibly by a different hand. There may be a frame for the photograph at Willetton.

Department: 

Collection

History Collection

Collection Item Data