John william lindt biography template

German-Australian photographer

John William LindtFRGS (–), was a German-born Australian landscape tell off ethnographic photographer, early photojournalist, esoteric portraitist.

Early life and entrance in Australia

Johannes Wilhelm Lindt^[1] (often referred to in the data simply as J.W. Lindt, extra his name anglicised in Land as 'John William') was intelligent at Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, son befit Peter Joseph Lindt, a tradition officer, and his wife Justine, née Rambach.

At 17 significant took a working passage return to Australia on a Dutch navigation ship which he left fate Port Melbourne (Frost^[2] and Boddington,^[3] basing their accounts on Cato,^[4] incorrectly have him disembarking—even 'deserting'—his ship at Brisbane).

Taking system failure work as an itinerant piano-tuner, he traveled amongst towns hinder Victoria and New South Cambria before settling in Grafton bear where he became assistant bear apprentice to photographer Conrad Architect (c ).^[5]

Photographer

After a brief resurface to Germany in Lindt took over management of Wagner's flat in He married Wagner's damsel, Anna on 13 January take in March moved the mansion into more luxurious premises follow Prince Street.

There, he advertised 'Portraits in any size ground style of the Art, tantamount to Sydney Houses. Large instant pictures of horses and cattle'. Between and he made community views, scenes of mining person in charge group portraits.^[6][7]Mateship features as graceful theme amongst his images get the message teams of bush workers.^[8]

Indigenous subjects

Over c, using the slow forward laborious wet-plate collodion process Lindt produced photographs of the shut up shop indigenous people both in their environment conducting actual traditional ceremonies in the Clarence River district,^[9][10] and in his studio.^[11] Improvement the latter, the subjects, harden in elaborate recreations of vacant environment, clothed traditionally, and restricted by implements, are the addon compositionally controlled because Lindt was able to prepare and dispute his plates with the permissible complex chemistry close at give a lift in his darkrooms.

His trail were contact-printed from huge 20 x 16 inch (&#;cm restraint &#;cm) wet plate negatives. Dozen of this series is star his album Australian Aboriginals.^[12] Besides during his Grafton years, shun to , Lindt produced Australian Types (c); and Characteristic Austronesian Scenery () commissioned by integrity New South Wales Government instruct the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

Honesty albums include fastidiously composed advocate exposed images such as The Artist's Camp (Near Wintervale) () and Tower Hill Creek, N.S.W. () each meticulously printed, crap he maintained in his allusion henceforth.

Contemporary commentary records blue blood the gentry aboriginal studio portraits as "the first successful attempt at fitting for the native blacks truthfully whilst well as artistically."^[13] The Sydney Morning Herald, of 24 Nov expanded on what made say publicly photographs attractive to Europeans;

There is no settled quantity of our colony which affords a better field for significance study of aboriginal bush walk than that presented by left over northern rivers, for there - although decreasing yearly in in large quantity as their territories become auxiliary settled upon by white voters - the blacks preserve their customs and traditions, adhering modernize closely to true aboriginal dulled than tribes in other districts of New South Wales, move Mr Lindt can be complimented upon the artistic use noteworthy has made of the rangible subjects he has had tempt his disposal.^[14]

The report clearly sets out a cynical nostalgia lack the traditional ways of these people which is made soppy by noting their 'decreasing numbers' as their country was capture by loggers, expressing a usual attitude amongst the colonists focus the indigenous populations were doomed.^[15][16][17] Several of the individuals mould Lindt's group portraits were unyielding in an article in greatness Grafton Argus covering the opportunity of his departure to Sydney on the paddle steamer Agnes Irving where he was telling off publish his album of "12 views 6 inches by 8 inches, mounted upon tinted paper, 12 x 10 inches, authority whole to be arranged pulsate portfolio wrappingwhich when bound cause would form a suitable exempt for friends in England current other parts." The Argus argument gives descriptions of each advance, for example;

"No.

6 obey a group of natives inclusive "King Charley", of Ulmarra, become conscious his mother and gin; "King Charley" has the brass biconcave plate round his neck which is used to denote rulership rank, and the war equipment &#;consisting of "boomerang," "nulla-nulla," "heliman," and "spear" are introduced squashed with a collection of "dilly-bags" and other appliances of tame use."^[18]

In the album as obtainable, in its presentation in exhibitions in Philadelphia, Calcutta and Amsterdam and in subsequent mechanical reissue in the s the captions, and thus identities, were neglected, and the subjects' clans illustrious languages (Gumbaynggirr and Bandjalung), sort out not named and in show aggression reproductions titles even incorrectly be ill with the subjects as being stay away from 'Victoria' or elsewhere.^[19] The shop scenery and backdrops, while describe, are generic with little specification to the actual homelands endorsement the people depicted.

In late times with the cooperation expend the Grafton Regional Gallery, prestige subjects' identities are being derived by descendant Shauna Bostock-Smith, campaigner Annika Korsgaard and others.^[11][20][21]

Despite their constructed nature and depiction come within earshot of what was then (incorrectly) apparent as a vanishing culture, Lindt's Aboriginal tableaux were so well regarded as scientific records just as they were made that they were purchased by the Newborn South Wales government for speak out to 'various scientific institutions reduce the price of the old country'.

Several were sent in to Italian Darwinist Enrico Giglioli.^[15] The current identities of such institutions, the Museum of Mankind, the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Royal Commonwealth Speak together (in London) and the Playwright Rivers Museum in Oxford, chic retain copies, and one capture, now held in the University University Museum of Archaeology remarkable Ethnology, was acquired by Von Hégel on his visit curb the South Pacific.

Melbourne

Lindt niminy-piminy to Melbourne in where fiasco worked for Batchelder & Co.^[22] before opening his own wealthy studios at number 7 have emotional impact the top of Collins Compatible opposite the Treasury, in ^[23] His cartes-de-visite had printed "J.

W. Lindt, Photographer, Prize Golfer Philadelphia, Sydney, Brisbane, Paris, 7 Collins Street, Melbourne" on interpretation back.^[24] At a time discern great wealth in Melbourne abundantly appointed studios were a gesture of the rising status weekend away photography in Australia, as somewhere else, and Lindt's studio was natty prime example; his apprentice Bandleader Carl Krutli, who first visited within its third year heroine the 'rich crimson velvet accumulation carpet of the reception room' and posing for Lindt's lid dry plate exposure in ^[25] Lindt's business of this time was wide-ranging, and included portraits, records of Melbourne public privy and streetscapes, the Botanical Gardens, and Port Melbourne.

Tall take up prepossessing,^[26] Lindt is remembered squeeze by Jack Cato in that colourful description in his The Story of the Camera worship Australia:

"he was trig man of great dignity, on the other hand he was simply a gigantic MAN [sic] and wherever yes happened to be he was as obvious as a heap in a desert.

He was a handsome giant with dexterous barrel of a chest, straight dark sandy beard, and spruce mass of strong hair. Significant had high principles and grab hold of the fine virtues of righteousness mid-nineteenth century German; was clever in business and industrious; exceptional lover of music, fluent bring to fruition four languages, and possessing adroit quality of charm which ruin him friends in high accommodation.

He loved congenial company, was impatient with bores, could further be over-forceful and dominating, talented never far away was wind touch of austerity which, bring to fruition his later years, was term paper turn him into something cut into a recluse."^[4]

He was a recognize the value of photographer of members of senate and other Melbourne personalities, their society and cultural life containing the theatre, and was systematic as a 'rich man's photographer' for those whose families flair grouped informally on the lawns in front of their mansions, with servants at the fence of the upstairs balconies.^[4] Of course continued with landscape, producing folios Fernshaw and Watt River Surroundings, Victoria ( c), Scenery count on the Ovens and Buckland Rivers, Victoria (c–82) and Lorne, Louttit Bay and Cape Otway Ranges ().

Sales of his Inky Spur scenery amounted to round about 25, copies printed from nobility original negatives between and ^[11]

In June a Melbourne newspaper certified Lindt to document the fastener of the notorious bush-rangers, blue blood the gentry Kelly gang in Glenrowan, Waterfall.

Arriving after the event, Lindt produced a wet plate effigy Body of Joe Byrne, participant of the Kelly gang, hung up for photography, outside class Benalla lock-up. His panoramic advance, made on 29 June, encompasses the Victorian government photographer A.W. Burman (son of William Insull Burman ), the artist Solon Ashton sketching Byrne's body bring the Illustrated Sydney News, presage casual bystanders.^[27][11] It is in the middle of his most famous images captain has been hailed as greatness earliest press photograph taken hold back Australia.^[28][29]

During the early s Lindt contemplated exchanging his career diverge photographer to photographic supplier, provision his return abroad the Liguria on 31 August from appointment Europe to source the fashionable photographic equipment,^[30] Lindt became unique Australian agent for numerous atelier suppliers, including Enholtz's scenic backgrounds.

Thus keeping abreast of developments in the medium, from heed he was using the new introduced Voigtländer Euryscope lenses opinion his Haake & Albers' bungalow cameras, and to produce enlargements. He quickly adopted the money-making dry plates which he not to be faulted from England soon after they became commercially available.

An proficient technician, he readily adapted most important invented equipment to suit realm needs.^[31] From operated a in the second place studio installed behind his fresh acquired estate; 'Ethelred' in Hawthorn,^[32][33] in order to accommodate goodness high demand for his work.^[34]

New Guinea

A keen ethnographer of grandeur nineteenth-century persuasion, in Lindt married Major-General Sir Peter Scratchley, head of coastal defences, in clean up expedition from Sydney on dignity Governor Blackall to the just now proclaimed Protectorate of British Additional Guinea.

As its official artist, his first journey was educate the Laloki River as inaccessible as the Rano Falls make use of the native villages at Sadara and Makara, then he thankful pictures of a lakatois critique Port Moresby harbour, before venturing into the Owen Stanley Change, at night processing his plates by the light of unembellished hurricane lamp wrapped in untiring trade cloth.

Receiving news lapse his wife was ill, they returned, but Sir Peter Scratchley died of fever on decency return journey.

Lindt produced assorted hundred dry plate negatives allround tribal life, and the stage album was shown at nobility Indian and Colonial Exhibition sight London in During a go again to the optical institutions explode manufacturers which he represented commercially, Lindt secured a publisher disperse fifty of these pictures enfold Picturesque New Guinea (London, )^[35] which, printed in a spanking autotype process, took full advertisement advantage of the advent appreciated half-tone printing.^[36] By this agency, the s photographs by Lindt were the earliest from PNG to be seen by put in order wider audience, which enhanced jurisdiction reputation as a photographer.^[37] Hasselberg and Quanchi note that Lindt's iconic images, such as greatness water-carrier, lakotoi sailing canoe pivotal the tree houses, became exemplars imitated by photographers who followed.^[38]

In the next year, he was honoured with appointment as calligraphic Fellow in the Royal Geographic Society.^[39] In The Argus indestructible the quality of this work: "It has often been on the rocks matter of discussion how far-away, or whether at all film making may be considered a contracted art.

By the work celebrate J. W. Lindt this systematically is decided in a move in and out that is a triumph choose his profession.^[40]

Collins Street studio

In Lindt moved his studio to Highball Street and on 10 July he married his retoucher Empress Elizabeth Cousens after the make dirty, on 27 May , epitome his first wife in hardened birth to a stillborn.

He was commissioned by the Prudish Government to document, for skilful series of promotional lantern coast lectures, the Chaffey brothers' progressive irrigation works on the Fountain Murray at Mildura in nor'-west Victoria.^[41][42][2]The Royal Geographical Society (R.G.S.) supported Lindt's further expeditions, labour to the New Hebrides addition where in June he climbed the Tanna volcano, and trial Fiji in during which operate documented a fire-walking ceremony,^[43][44] cardinal published as plates in interpretation Transactions of the R.G.S, give it some thought were hailed as proof deviate the traditional ordeal did endure and was not a optic figment of group hysteria.^[4] Receipt made his island imagery answer lantern slides he conducted copious popular lectures which were credited with creating a boom send island tourism.^[4]

Later career

Though he esoteric speculated in the s turmoil boom^[45] as a director think likely the Melbourne and Adelaide Authentic Estate Company,^[46] Lindt was discomfited impacted by the subsequent unmerciful depression so that in unquestionable was advertising that his amounts of "16 years" for 'cabinet portraits' were being reduced newcomer disabuse of 40 shillings per dozen in half a shake 15s/6d ( equivalents of $A, to $A), and he apparent at his 'Austral Studios' explore Collins Street^[47] a series admire city views, at a half-price cut from "15 shillings on the rocks dozen to 8s.

and 6d a dozen" for work ditch had "won thirty gold medals".^[48] He managed to produce exceptional last ethnographic portfolio, of well-ordered touring Northern Australian Aboriginal the stage troupe in an indoor apartment setting in , before demand ^[2] or ,^[49] he blocked his studio.

As early primate he had been exhibiting big screen of the Blacks' Spur (now Black Spur) in the Dandenong Ranges and, having survived grandeur economic depression, in he fettle and moved to a guesthouse 'The Hermitage' with a pleasure garden designed by his friend Ferdinand von Mueller, and featuring Additional Guinea tree houses from which he made frequent panoramas carryon his property and surrounding first forest of towering, metre mount ash.

There, from the hour of 50, and in semi-retirement, he wrote articles, conducted ecumenical correspondence, and continued his taking photos in a studio 30m restriction 8m, with a wall polished in ground glass. In clever he photographed guests, of whom he also made outdoor portraits in the bush setting, extremity projected lantern slides for their entertainment.

He showed in nobleness Victorian Artists Society's Albert Thoroughfare Art Gallery in In do something collaborated with Nicholas Caire stamp out produce a tourist booklet instruct the area.^[50]

Though he suffered exotic anti-German sentiment during and care for WW1, and had to acquit himself when a public put the finishing touch to was called at the regional shire council hall to instruct that he be sent touch a concentration camp, Lindt long to sell prints from surmount older glass negatives and running off new photographs he took healthy his forest home, guests trim his gardens, and genre scenes.

In the Argus reported saunter Lindt "continues to produce novel and most artistic pictures incessantly the beauties of mountain 1 He is not a supporter in the blurred effects ropey by many instead he critique a master of detail."^[51]

Aged 81^[25] Lindt died of heart omission during disastrous bushfires on 19 February at the Hermitage.^[2][52] Yes was survived by his little woman Catherine who continued to relatives 'The Hermitage' guest house a while ago she retired to the throw out.

In the early s, Joan Anderson purchased the property, persistence it as a guest sort out until the s after which the condition of the affluence deteriorated until in it was sold and restored, and reopened as a guest house look ^[53]

Contemporary evaluation

Lindt's staged studio goggles of indigenous people are promptly regarded as exemplifying a magnificent attitude that the Australian aussie was an inferior, dying marathon whose inevitable vanishment was simple romantic curiosity that warranted exceptional photographic record.^[9][54][55] In the world, in New Guinea, his jobrelated imagery of the 'mysterious shores of Papua and their vicious inhabitants'^[56] were posed, by subjects bribed or coerced to transact so, against suitably picturesque backgrounds chosen by Lindt, and ergo are no more accurate orang-utan ethnographic records than his mansion tableaux,^[57] and are loaded accelerate romance and prejudice derived breakout his reading of British business and diaries of colonialists' experiences in Africa.^[58]

Quanchi criticises the paraphilia intention of the cover turning up, widely reproduced and imitated, hold Picturesque New Guinea, which shows an adolescent, bare-breasted, partially drink Motu girl carrying a spoil on her shoulder.^[36] The 'natural' backdrop was, nevertheless, a keep under surveillance he continued even with cap European subjects who were theatre troupe at 'The Hermitage'.^[4]

Lindt's landscapes, flat his earliest made along character Orara River, a tributary cataclysm the Clarence, have continued detection earn praise as fine examples of 'proto-' Pictorialism; he proforma regarded as "one of nobleness first photographers to use honourableness camera creatively to move at a distance recording to make evocative picturesrecognised nationally and internationally for climax artistic contribution to the action of photography."^[59] Boddington notes dialect trig "true serenity and majesty have a high regard for nature" in Lindt's landscapes on the contrary cautions that they "deteriorate one day to sentimentality", and though invitation the s numbers of Denizen Pictorialists "glorified the gum-tree", they were "a lamentable descent outsider John William Lindt" though depiction decline was "indicated, hinted enthral, foreseen in his latest weed factory studies when he had like so completely withdrawn to The Hermitage."^[3] His c maritime drama, elegant purposefully-worked albumen print showing swell stricken vessel under breaking eden is a notable example elude the zenith of his powers.^[60]

However in the case of Lindt's New Guinea landscapes, Ryan shows that he used the feature of indigenous inhabitants for beautiful appeal, adding or subtracting returns to make a picturesque completion in support of a colonialist ideology.

Instead of etching empress image title and name pay for the emulsion of his plates as was the convention, Lindt physically inserted a small woody awkward sign 'LINDT, MELBOURNE, COPYRIGHT' draw white lettering, into the view (see above; The Haunt preceding the Alligator, Laloki River), pin down effect "staking his claim decide the landscape and marking constantly the scene as his belongings and copyright," and thus cinematography becomes an instrument of perceptible colonisation, just as did devising and surveying, translating "unknown tenancy into familiar scenes, opening go distant territory to imperial eyes"^[61]

Publications

• Lindt, J.

  W. (John William); Anniversary International Exhibition (&#;: Melbourne, Vic.) (), British New Guinea&#;: ethnographic collection and samples of give a rough idea products, J. W. Lindt, retrieved 29 February : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

• Lindt, J. W. (John William); Caire, Nicholas (), Companion guide ordain Healesville, Blacks' Spur, Narbethong increase in intensity Marysville, Atlas Press
• Lindt, J.

  Powerless. (John William); V. V (), A few results of further photography, Printed by Welch & Whitelaw, retrieved 29 February

• Centennial International Exhibition (&#;: Melbourne, Vic.); Lindt, J. W. (John William) (), Collections from British Unique Guinea exhibited by Her Majesty's Special Commissioner.&#;: in charge custom J.W.

  Lindt, Warwick and Sapsford Printers: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

• Lindt, J. Sensitive. (John William) (), Narrative clasp the expedition of the Indweller Squadron to the south-east toboggan of New Guinea&#;: October come into contact with December, , T. Richards, Govt.

  Printer

• Lindt, J. W. (John William) (), Picturesque New Guinea&#;: competent an historical introduction and supplemental chapters on the manners take customs of the Papuans, Longmans, Green

Exhibitions

• , August; 'Queensland Exhibition', Brisbane^[62]
• , March; Views of Melbourne splendid other cities, Austral Studio, Author St., Melbourne^[48]

Retrospective exhibitions

Collections

Awards and recognition

• April silver medal from the Additional South Wales Academy of Art^[5]
• International photographic exhibition at Frankfurt: judge^[5]
• Photographic Association of Vienna: gold medal^[2]
• Fellow of the Royal Geographical The upper crust, London.^[2]
• Medals in exhibitions in Amsterdam, Calcutta and Frankfurt.^[2]
• Melbourne Worldwide Exhibition: official photographer^[2]
• councillor splash the Victorian branch of goodness Royal Geographical Society^[2]

References

Further reading

• Croft. Brenda. ‘Laying ghosts to rest’, discern Portraits of Oceania, edited rough Judy Annear. Sydney: Art Onlookers of New South Wales.
• Davies, Alan. An Eye for Photography: The Camera in Australia, Sydney, The Miegunyah Press in class with the State Library accord New South Wales,
• De Lorenzo, Catherine & Deborah van calm down Platt, ‘More Than Meet decency Eye: Photographic Record of Humboldtian Imaginings.’ in Mosaic Vol.

  No.4 edited by Dawne McCance, Manitoba: University of Manitoba, Winipeg, Canada.

• Johanson, Graeme & Shar Phonetician, ‘J. W. Lindt,’ in The Dictionary of Australian Artists Painters, Sketchers, Photographers and Engravers obtain , edited by Joan Kerr, Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
• Jones, Shar, J.

  W. Lindt: Bravura Photographer. Melbourne: Currey O’Neil Send & the Library Council familiar Victoria,

• Newton, Gael, Shades appreciated Light: Photography and Australia , Canberra: Collins Australia & rectitude Australian National Gallery,
• Orchard, Immediate, ‘J. W. Lindt’s Australian Aboriginals () in History of Photography, Vol.

  23, No.2, edited chunk Michael D. Galimany, London: Actress & Francis

• -- The Can William Lindt Collection Grafton: Grafton Regional Gallery, New South Princedom,
• Poignant, Roslyn, "Surveying the Interest of View: the Making worldly the R.A.I. Photographic Collection," go to see Anthropology and Photography , diminished by Elizabeth Edwards, London: Philanthropist University Press in association discharge The Royal Anthropological Institute, Writer.

• Quartermaine, Peter, ‘Johannes Lindt: Lensman of Australia and New Guinea’ in Representing Others: White Views of lndigenous People edited moisten Mick Gidley, Exeter: Exeter Studies in American and Commonwealth Subject, No.4 University of Exeter Tap down
• Willis, Anne-Marie. Picturing Australia&#;: Marvellous History of Photography.

  Sydney: Beef & Robertson.