School of Culture and Communication - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 3 of 3
-
ItemHugh Ramsay: a consideration of his life and work( 1966)Hugh Ramsay was born on 25th May, 1877, in Glasgow, the fourth son of John and Margaret Ramsay (nee Thomson). John Ramsay appears to have followed various occupations before this time. According to D. S. Adam he served an apprenticeship as a carpenter and cabinet-maker in Shotts, Lanarkshire; in June, 1896, at the time of his marriage in Stane, Lanarkshire, he gave his occupation as ‘commission agent’; and at the time of Hugh’s birth in Glasgow he gave his occupation as ‘Die Sinker and Engraver’. Two considerations, mentioned by Adam and Mrs. Lennie, a niece of John Ramsay, might well have influenced Ramsay in his decision to emigrate: according to Adam, Margaret Ramsay was in poor health, and the doctor advised a change of climate; Mrs. Lennie, on the other hand, states that John Ramsay was attracted to Australia by the business opportunities he say there. On 5th March, 1878, John Ramsay with his wife and four sons sailed on the ‘Loch Sunart’ for Melbourne, Arriving on 7th June, 1878. The family lived at first in King Street, West Melbourne, moving in 1881 to Williams Road, Prahran, in 1885 to Erica Street, Windsor, and finally, in 1888, to Essendon. Here, according to a neighbor, the Ramsays lived in a terrace house in Bayview Terrace before moving into the substantial new home, “Clydebank”, in Vida Street. (From Chapter 1)
-
ItemThe life and work of Ludwig Becker (1808-1861): with a critical analysis of his Australian oeuvre and an appreciation of his contribution to artistic and scientific developments in Victoria( 1978)Ludwig Becker’s name has long been associated with the Great Exploring Expedition of 1860-61 and the work he executed during the Expedition as artist, naturalist and geologist. But details of his life and training have been obscure and work undertaken prior to the Expedition relatively unknown. Becker was no superficial or flamboyant character but a true scholar. He appeared content to remain in the background, sharing his knowledge and contributing much to the cultural life of early Melbourne, always the worker while others took the honours. During the research for this study of Becker’s life and work I realised that it would be enhanced by extending the critical analysis into the scientific field. I sought some guidance from scientific specialists. I acknowledge with gratitude the advice given me by Mr John Calaby, Division of Wild Life Research, C.S.I.R.O., Canberra; and Mr Alan West, Curator of Anthropology, both of the National Museum of Victoria. Help provided on a specific point is acknowledged in the relative note. The scientists confirmed that Becker was able to identify correctly almost all living species of the animal world that he sketched, providing a considerable amount of data which they can hardly fault. In all other respects this thesis is an original work. It provides a biographical study of Becker in three sections. The first covers his life prior to his arrival in Australia; the second covers nine years spent in Tasmania and Victoria; and the third tells of the part he played on the Expedition until his death. There is a lengthy critical appraisal of his artistic work, the German tradition which moulded him and comparisons with other artists, especially William Strutt. There is also a chapter on his promotion of the arts in Victoria. Appendices, including hitherto unknown (in Australia) biographical details of Hermann Beckler, with whom he was closely associated on the Expedition, as well as full notes to the text, provide additional information and sources. The second volume contains the Catalogue of Becker’s work. That prior to the Expedition cannot claim to be complete but does give the fullest information available to date. The catalogue of the sketches of the Expedition is complete. These sketches and other documentary material, including reports, letters and meteorological observations on which I have based my study of this section are in the collection of the Royal Society of Victoria, now part of the special collections held in the La Trobe Library, State Library of Victoria. Also in the La Trobe Library are the Minutes in manuscript of the Victorian Society of Fine Arts which I believe worthy of inclusion as a lengthy appendix in this study.
-
ItemJames Blackburn: civil engineer, surveyor and architect: his life and work in Van Diemen's Land (1833-1849)( 1970)The theme of this thesis is the elucidation in detail of the life of an early Australian professional mana and convict – in a sense – made good, and to discuss his projected and remaining achievement in Tasmania – with special emphasis (as this thesis is submitted within the domain of local Art History rather than in the wider field of Australian History) on his architectural work. At the time of commencement (1956-57) this combination of full-scale biography from primary source material with a professionally-orientated survey of a man’s life work was totally new to the Australian visual arts. Biographies such as a life of Francis Greenway by M.H. Ellis (1949) for instance, contained no analysis, comprehension or even real consideration of the only thing, ultimately, which made Greenway worth writing about for a serious audience – his architecture. There is still extremely little of this duality as far as nineteenth century artists are concerned, and none whatsoever in the field of early architecture. The concern here, as expressed in the title, is with James Blackburn’s life and work in the island of Tasmania – the “set task” (admittedly a self-chosen one) expires, in fact, in the year 1849 when he settled permanently in what was to become the State of Victoria. An epilogue has, notwithstanding, been appended both to round off the biographical narrative and to include for anyone interested such information as has been obtained with brief and desultory spare-time explorations outside the periods of research of the main bulk of the thesis text. A sustained and prolonged onslaught would not alter the outlines of Blackburn’s life in Melbourne, but might (and might not) give more details of his schemes and yield further undertakings as City Surveyor. If it be borne in mind that prior to this investigation the only three statements which had been made about Blackburn in Melbourne were to the effect that he was “Father of the Melbourne Water Supply” and that he died in 1852 after falling from a horse (the latter two inaccurate) it will be seen that a reasonable expansion of knowledge has been achieved, and the last chapter many not appear objectionably gratuitous in this context. (From Introduction)