david coombe history
SUMMARY: S.T. Gill frequently portrayed the Aboriginal corroboree. This article places these in context and relates them to corroboree works by W.R. Govett and J.M. Skipper.
Article type: ANALYSIS
This article presents S.T. Gill's corroboree pictures ranging in date from 1844 to 1874. The list of works is intended to be well representative but not exhaustive. This article also includes related works by W.R. Govett and J.M. Skipper.
In describing the "Corroboree, or native dance" in Adelaide in 1844, W.A. Cawthorne noted "the corroboree is generally performed on moon-light evenings".1 And S.T. Gill almost invariably portrayed them so.
Cawthorne and George French Angas also portrayed the corroboree, in particular the "Kuri Palti".
In two of his watercolours Gill shows two European observers – in a similar fashion to W.R. Govett's 1836 published image of New South Wales. Gill may have been influenced by this image. Later J.M. Skipper also included Europeans.
With particular focus on the developments in early Adelaide, Michael Parsons (The Tourist Corroboree in South Australia to 1911) describes the "'Corroboree', the public dance-music events staged by Aboriginal people for a settler audience ... as a cultural product jointly negotiated between two cultures". And in these South Australian images, the Europeans are portrayed as observers, not covert intruders.
This article further demonstrates the link between S.T. Gill and George French Angas, 1844-1845 through:
Parsons, Michael. "The Tourist Corroboree in South Australia to 1911." 1997. Aboriginal History, vol. 21, 1997, pp. 46-69, https://search-informit-org.rp.nla.gov.au/doi/10.3316/ielapa.858755786095425.
1. South Australian Register, 16 March 1844: 3. <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27446737>
You can scroll down to see all pictures along with detailed notes or click a link to jump to a specific work from the list.
The corrobary [i.e. corroboree] or peculiar dance of the natives of New South Wales | National Library of Australia NK775/3
Artist: Govett, W. R. | Date: 1836~
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Watercolour corresponding to the image reproduced in Govett's article in "The Saturday Magazine", No. 255, 25 June 1836 (p. 241) by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=AOQ2AQAAMAAJ. This is presumably Govett's original watercolour for the magazine article. Possibly painted in England after Govett's return from New South Wales.
The image may therefore have been seen by Gill. Its representation of a corroboree being watched by three European men (left foreground and right background) may have suggested Gill's own construction of NLA NK2124. Note there is no moon in this image.
607
A native corroboree at night | National Library of Australia NK2124
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1844 | Appleyard cat. 37 | 42.7(H) x 63.5(W) cm
Catalogue: S.T. Gill and George French Angas, 1844-1845
An Aboriginal corroboree around a fire on a full moon; sparsely treed hills in the background; men dance with spears and wirris; spectators seated at left provide accompaniment. Three main characters at right watch the corroboree: an aboriginal man standing with long spear and two white men behind him, one standing with curly hair and fat tummy, the other mounted on a horse.
This is a very large watercolour. Although extremely difficult to see in its dark background, the picture is signed lower left "STG ..." (possibly but not confidently "Nov/44") in black. Given the approximate date and the men's appearance we have a reasonable chance of identifying them. They are likely to be (left to right): Kadlitpinna (Captain Jack), George French Angas, W.A. Cawthorne.
"Mr Angas I should say was about two and twenty, perhaps less – small of stature about 5ft 6in at the most – thickish set in the body ..." (Cawthorne, page before 3 Feb 1844)
"I am going to take Capt Jack (one of the Aborigines is called) up to Mr Angas in full dress as a warrior – oiled – painted – decorated &c. &c. precisely as they dress themselves when a fight takes place – to be drawn." (Cawthorne, 3 Feb 1844)
"This evening I went down to the natives with Mr Angas and Fooks to see the "Cure Palti" performed again. Mr A. took a sketch of them and I have to describe it." (Cawthorne, 3 April 1844)
For more detail see the catalogue / main entry.
41
A Native Corroboree at Night c. 1844 | Owner unknown DM 2005-09-21/30
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1844/1845 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Catalogue: S.T. Gill, E.J. Eyre, Symmetry 1844
The scene is an Aboriginal corroboree around a fire on a full moon; sparsely treed hills in the background; men and children dance with spears and wirris; spectators seated at left provide accompaniment.
Captioned below: "'Corroboree' Native Dance". The small signature "STG" at bottom left seems to be a later addition and an earlier larger but fainter signature may be further in.
The image is similar in construction to "Corrobbery of the natives at night" by W.A. Cawthorne in his diary in July 1844 which Cawthorne says he copied by memory from one he saw at Angas'.
This picture's style is consistent with an 1844 date and perhaps this is the corroboree picture taken to Scotland by Alex. Murray (December 1844) and (presumably) sold by him in London in mid-1846.
Auctioned: Australian & International Fine Art, Deutscher-Menzies, Melbourne, 21/09/2005. Lot No. 30. (Source: "Australian and New Zealand Art Sales Digest" via NLA – https://www-aasd-com-au.rp.nla.gov.au/)
I haven't been able to examine this work.
Reference: Cawthorne, W.A. Diary (Literarium diarium), Mitchell Library, SLNSW.
164
Native Corrobbory, South Australia | State Library of New South Wales DSM/980/205B1/v. 1
Artist: Gill, S.T. (after) | Date: 1846
Catalogue: George French Angas in London and S.T. Gill
Plate in George French Angas' book "Savage Life and Scenes" (2nd edition, 1847, vol. 1, frontispiece). (This plate was not in the 1st edition.)
The scene is an Aboriginal corroboree around a fire on a full moon; sparsely treed hills in the background; men dance with spears; spectators seated at left provide accompaniment.
Angas claims authorship with the caption "George French Angas, del". However I find no original Angas sketch corresponding to this scene.
The style is not like Angas and the figures are not like those in Angas' own work, such as "Kuri Dance" SAM AA8/2/5/1. Instead this picture is much like Gill's and the composition is very similar to most of his corroboree pictures, e.g. the 1849 wash drawing NLA NK7063/12 and a c.1844 watercolour auctioned in 2005. (Deutscher-Menzies, Melbourne, 21/09/2005. Lot No. 30.) The dancers have spears in all of Gill's corroboree pictures but in none of Angas's.
I think it's likely Angas obtained a Gill picture, upon which this is based, either in Adelaide or Alex. Murray's corroboree picture sold by him in London in mid-1846. The latter possibility would be an explanation for this appearing in the second but not the first edition of "Savage Life and Scenes".
444
Native dance or corroberie [i.e. corroboree] So. [i.e South] Australia, Adelaide, Jany 1849 | National Library of Australia NK7063/12
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1848-11~/1849-01 | Appleyard cat. 40
Catalogue: S.T. Gill's Set of South Australian Scenes - January 1849
The scene is an Aboriginal corroboree around a fire on a full moon; sparsely treed hills in the background; men at right dance with spears or sticks; women seated at left provide accompaniment; two people are clothed and the rest are naked.
Gill titled the work. Captioned (in a different script to the title): "Adelaide, Jan'y 1849".
For more detail see the catalogue / main entry.
98
Native corroboree | National Gallery of Victoria 1995.26.1.f
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1855 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Lithograph in Gill's "Sketches in Victoria". Publisher: J.J. Blundell & Co.
609
Native Corrobborry | National Library of Australia NK2096/6
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1855 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Lithograph in Gill's "Sketches in Victoria". Publisher: J.J. Blundell & Co. (Hand coloured.)
445
Corroboree | Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales PXA 1983 f.29
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1863 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
From "Dr Doyle's Sketch Book". The two European observers may be intended to be Gill and J.T. Doyle.
443
The "Corrobberrie" [sic] or Native Dance | Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales PXA 1983 f.06
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1863 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
From "Dr Doyle's Sketch Book".
441
Corroboree, or Native Dance | Dixson Library, State Library of New South Wales DL Pd 153
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1844~/1865~ | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Photograph of an untraced watercolour. Note a woman (instead of a man) reclined in the foreground and the dancers' leg apart stance. Resembles Dr Doyle's Sketch Book.
372
Corroboree | South Australian Museum AA291/1
Artist: Skipper, J.M. | Date: 1863/1864 | 106(H) x 152(W) cm
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Appleyard (62) compares Gill's night corroboree (NLA NK2124) to this "very early 1840s" oil by John Michael Skipper. This painting was variously dated through reference to newspaper articles as 1840 (1936, 1944 newspapers) or late 1863 (1864). But Skipper was painting watercolours not oils in 1840.
Woodburn (152-3 and notes) cites Skipper family correspondence on this painting being completed for a wedding present in late 1863. It is described (on display) in detail in South Australian Register, 5 May 1864: 3. <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39124575>
Mary Thomas (71-72) notes: "A clever artist, Mr. J. M. Skipper, who was a passenger on the Africaine, has lately painted a large picture representing a corroboree, which he had the opportunity of witnessing that but few had, and he has faithfully depicted it on the canvas. A group of natives, decorated as described above, are going through their peculiar evolutions near a large fire while two bushmen accompanied by two ladies, all mounted, are looking on ..." This is not a dated diary or letter but is published under the heading "Reminiscences". She may have written this paragraph as late as 1866 and her "lately" would sensibly refer to this 1863 work.
There are interesting similarities between Skipper's oil and Gill's earlier watercolour, including the background mountainous peak, and it's possible this Gill work was inspiration for Skipper's own.
The image is not online at SAM but may be viewed at https://allthepleasuresofthegarden.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/p1030121.jpg or https://adelaideaz.com/sites/adelaideaz/media/images/categories/music/at-corroboree.jpg.
Timeline / Provenance (likely):
July 1944: acquired for museum | http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43213864
April 1944: "painted in 1840 is at Fullarton" | http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128402593
1936: "1840" painting in exhibition | http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48175475
1916: in possession of Mr. F. E. Sawtell, Beaconsfield Buildings | http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59814427
May 1864: on display (not for sale)
References:
Appleyard, Ron. & Fargher, Barbara. & Radford, Ron. & Art Gallery of South Australia. (1986). S.T. Gill : the South Australian years, 1839-1852. Adelaide : Art Gallery of South Australia
Woodburn, Susan 2017, Alexander Schramm (1813-64) and the visual representation of Aboriginal people in mid-nineteenth century colonial Australia, accessed 11 May 2021, <https://librarysearch.adelaide.edu.au/permalink/61ADELAIDE_INST/rinku3/alma9927942488501811>.
Thomas, Mary, 1787-1875. and Thomas, Evan Kyffin. and Willington, Joan. and Thomas, Maisie. The diary and letters of Mary Thomas (1836-1866) : being a record of the early days of South Australia. (3rd ed.) / edited by Evan Kyffin Thomas ; Maisie : her life in her letters from 1898 to 1902 / edited by Joan Kyffin Willington J. K. Willington?, : [Adelaide? 1995
National Gallery of South Australia. Bulletin of the National Gallery of South Australia. Vol. 6 No 1, July 1944.
525
Corrobori [i.e. corroboree] | National Library of Australia R4248
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1864/1865 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Original watercolour for the "Australian Sketchbook" (and subtly different to the lithograph). Inscribed "Corrobori" (lower right).
161
Corroboree | National Library of Australia S3215
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1865 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Lithograph in Gill's "Australian Sketchbook". Publisher: Hamel & Ferguson.
608
Corroboree at night | National Gallery of Victoria 1255-5
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1871 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Signed and dated.
610
[Native corroboree] | National Library of Australia R4249
Artist: Gill, S.T. | Date: 1874 | Appleyard cat. n/a
Main listing: S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree
Signed and dated "STG / 74". Title from reverse inscription (likely by Gill). Uncharacteristically for Gill there is no moon.
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David Coombe. Original 29 July 2022. Updated 10 April 2025. | text copyright (except where indicated)
CITE THIS: David Coombe, 2022-2025, S.T. Gill - Subject - Corroboree, accessed dd mmm yyyy, <https://coombe.id.au/S_T_Gill/S_T_Gill_Subject_Corroboree.htm>