Curiosities

Pat Corrigan – Four Bookplates Commissioned from Australian Artists [Backen, Chapman, Willibrant and Elenberg] – 1970′s

Three original bookplates by three quite different artists, all produced circa 1970’s. All in excellent condition

Earle Backen (1927-2005), books in cubic arrangement. In his time one of the mots respected painters in Sydney. His foundation field was printmaking. In 1954 he won a travelling scholarship and went to London and Paris. 13.5cm x 9.2cm.

Peter Chapman (1925-2016) Blues Player. Chapman born in North Sydney. He became one of Australia’s foremost comic book illustrators including The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow and Sir Falcon. 13cm by 10cm.

James Willibrant (Born 1950) Sydney Harbour. Willibrant was born in Shanghai, returning to Australia in time to study and develop an keen artists talent. Remains very active, his painting are a true delight … look them up. At the time of producing this special bookplate for Pat Corrigan he was teaching art at Chiron College. 12.5cm x 9.0cm. Initialled and dated in the image ’76

Joel Elenberg (1948-1980). Totemic form. Born in Melbourne and died very young in Bali. Soulmate of Brett Whiteley and loved by many. Elenberg an accomplished painter drawn later in his short life to sculpture. The form of this bookplate reflects that transition with its angular biomorphic form.

Pat Corrigan having done more to re-stimulate the art of bookplate design in Australia than any other person. The Wiki article on Pat Corrigan is excellent and has an interesting section on his promotion of bookplates.

Three Corrigan Commissioned Bookplates by three very different Australian Artists.

$80.00

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Australian Fairywrens – Sir William Jardine – 1826

An original hand-coloured engraving of three species of Australian Fairywrens published in Edinburgh 1826 by Scotland’s greatest naturalist Sir William Jardine (1800-1874).

The engraving was published as part of Jardine’s first great work “Illustrations in Ornithology” a now scarce and valuable collection of bird engravings.

Printed on strong paper with a good plate mark, albeit a little tight on the left (32cm by 22cm). Very good condition.

Drawn by William Jardine himself and signed in the plate. This engraving and colouring have a somewhat naive nature which we think gives them a special artistic appeal.

We have the male Red Breasted Fairywren (Malarus Brownii); Variegated Fairywren (Malarus Lamberli) and the Superb Fairywren (Malarus Cyaneus). The Red Breasted is prevalent from the very North of Australia around the Kimberleys down to the Hunter Valley; the Variegated is found along the East Coast as is the Superb Fairywren although this beautiful creature is more common in the South and Tasmania

Jardine was the 7th Baronet of Applegirth, Dumfriesshire and founder of the Ray Society. He was a superb artist in his own right but utilised the great illustrators of the day to complete his works including, Edward Lear, Selby, Stewart, Thompson and William Holmes-Lizars

Price $180.00 Unframed

Australian Fairywrens – Three of Them

$120.00

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Australian Bristlebird (Dasyornis Australis) [Endangered] – Sir William Jardine – 1826

An original hand-coloured engraving of Bristlebird published in Edinburgh 1826 by Scotland’s greatest naturalist Sir William Jardine (1800-1874). This image is one of the earliest fine engravings of the bird. First found and described by Latham around Port Jackson in 1801.

The engraving was published as part of Jardine’s first great work “Illustrations in Ornithology” a now scarce and valuable collection of bird engravings. Printed on thick wove paper (30cm by 23cm) with a strong plate impression, good strong colouring and generally clean condition. Would frame up nicely for display.

The Bristlebirds are named after the stiff “’hair like” feathers that arise around the beak. They are thought to assist in catching insects upon which they feed and also provide protection to the eye. There are a number of sub-species of the Eastern, Rufous and Western Bristlebirds. Subclassifications of those number six of which one is extinct, one critically endangered and two endangered and the other two on the way. Bush fires and land clearing the main culprits.

Jardine was the 7th Baronet of Applegirth, Dumfriesshire and founder of the Ray Society. He was a superb artist in his own right but utilised the great illustrators of the day to complete his works including, Edward Lear, Selby, Stewart, Thompson and William Holmes-Lizars

Price $180.00 Unframed

Early engraving of the endangered Australian Bristlebird … help to save them

$120.00

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Ada Aurantiaca (Orchid from South America) – Nugnet Finch for Warner 1882

Original hand finished lithograph printed from stone by John Nugent Finch for the illustrious Orchid Album by Warner and Moore and published by Benjamin Williams. This was from the first collection published in 1882. The work was not completed until 1887. Still regarded as the most complete and beautiful work on the spectacular orchid family.

This beautiful orchid hails from the mountains Colombia and Ecuador. It was first described and named by Voyager hero John Lindley in the 1850’s. They grow in warm damp forests around 2,000 metres.

A good size at 30cm x 24cm completely clean. the colours bright and enhanced with gum arabic.

Price $90.00 unframed

Spectacular Orchid from South America

$90.00

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Report on Australian Languages and Traditions (Parts I and II Complete) – Rev William Ridley MA – 1872/3

An original extract from the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 1872/73 pages 257-291. Octavo, soft modern wraps for protection, very good copies.

William Ridley (1919-1878) a supporter of the aboriginal community and compiler of languages .. a talented linguist. He arrived in Sydney in 1850 at the request of Rev J.D. Lang. Ordained and went to the New England are which he expanded into Moreton Bay and the Darling Downs. For financial reasons he later took on the roles of pastoralist and Journalist. He continued his interest in the aboriginal people and was the author of a landmark book on the Kumilaroi, Dippil and Turrubul people published in 1866.

These significant papers start with the detail of a thousand plus mile tour around outback NSW. This report is notes to be supplementary to the aforementioned book. Lists “new words” of Paces, with their meaning; Additional Words and Phrases in Kamilaroi, Wailwun etc; Pikumbul – spoken on the Macintyre. He goes on to deal with Social Classification, and Laws of Marriage and Descent; Religious and Mythical Traditions; The Bora; Funeral rites; the Krodjis and their Enchantments; the Recollections of Billy Murri Bundar; Traditions Concerning the Stars [especially interesting to Voyager].

In Part II, Ridley presents his own work on the Kamilaroi, Turrubul and Dippil alongside Gunther and Watson’s on the Wirradhurri, Daniel Bunce in Victoria and Hume on the West Coast. Presenting key words in tabular form.

Rare publication of supplementary work on aboriginal languages and customs by authority William Ridley

$60.00

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The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – The Discovery of Gold – Magnetism etc – Georgina King FRASA – Sydney 1924

A self-published pamphlet by Georgina King of work previously published in the “Sunday Times”. Printed by William Brooks, Sydney and issued in 1924.

Octavo, 23 pages, soft wrappers as issued, three illustrations in the text regarding aboriginals. Some age from use still a very good copy.

The articles are as per the title … The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – Two Stone Ages in Australia; The Discovery of Gold and How it was Found in Payable Quantities; Magnetism – terrestrial and Universal; Diamond and Their Origin.

A most usual body of work. Georgina King (1845-1932) was an amateur geologist and anthropologist. As a woman she was excluded from the “professional” category e.g. she was not allowed to read her own paper at the Royal society of NSW. Her ideas were rather whacky though and make for interesting reading … they did not stop her becoming a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Society. The daughter of Rev George King she was advised by him and naturalist Bennett not to marry if she wanted to get on in her chosen filed. She corresponded with Robert Logan Jack regarding geology and Huxley on natural sciences. In her eccentricity she blamed other for stealing her ideas, including Edgeworth David on her radical concepts of the earth’s formation and Einstein on the theory of relativity. She believed diamonds were fossilised marine organisms … quoting from the paper contained here …

“Diamonds existed as marine organisms. They are composed of pure carbon, containing only a little hydrogen, and the most minute particles are often found in what were small cavities, perhaps their breathing apparatus; some were like feathers. The cleavages of the diamond were the gills of those marine organisms …”

Her article of the aborigines is a lot more grounded. She was a friend of Daisy bates and provided financial support to Bates for her work among aboriginal people.

Georgina King isolated Australian Scientist with some wild ideas and some interesting ones.

$50.00

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Pat Corrigan – Four Bookplates Commissioned from Australian Artists [Backen, Chapman, Willibrant and Elenberg] – 1970′s

Australian Fairywrens – Sir William Jardine – 1826

Australian Bristlebird (Dasyornis Australis) [Endangered] – Sir William Jardine – 1826

Ada Aurantiaca (Orchid from South America) – Nugnet Finch for Warner 1882

Report on Australian Languages and Traditions (Parts I and II Complete) – Rev William Ridley MA – 1872/3

The Antiquity of the Aborigines of Australia and Tasmania – The Discovery of Gold – Magnetism etc – Georgina King FRASA – Sydney 1924

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