DUPLICATES and COPIES of Tasmanian prisoner mugshots taken by T. J. NEVIN 1870s
The TMAG copy
This is one of two extant duplicate photographs in carte-de-visite format produced by government contractor Thomas J. Nevin from his original glass negative taken of prisoner William Harrison in August 1873. This cdv was originally held in the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, acquired from John Watt Beattie's estate in the 1930s. When the QVMAG made an inventory of their Beattie collection in the 1980s [?], it was numbered "17" on the mount under the image and shown as missing from their collection, along with 126 more (one hundred and twenty-seven in total missing from a list of 199). It was returned - not to the QVMAG but to the TMAG - after being exhibited at the Port Arthur Conservation and Development Project (PACDP), Port Arthur in 1983. The verso number "112" was applied ca. 1915 when exhibited and offered for sale by John Watt Beattie at his "Port Arthur Museum" located at 51 Murray St. Hobart.
Prisoner HARRISON, William
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Ref: Q15579. Numbered on front: "17" in 1983, when removed from the QVMAG.
Verso transcription: 112 William Harrison "Native" Taken at Port Arthur 1874
Photographer: Thomas J. Nevin, taken at the Hobart Gaol, August 1873
Prisoner HARRISON, William
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Ref: Q15579
Verso transcription: 112 William Harrison "Native" Taken at Port Arthur 1874
Photographer: Thomas J. Nevin, taken at the Hobart Gaol, August 1873
This prisoner was locally born, designated "native" meaning he was not a felon convicted before 1853 when transportation to Tasmania ceased. He was not in prison in 1874. He was photographed by Thomas J. Nevin on discharge from the Hobart Gaol in August 1873 . The transcription "Taken at Port Arthur 1874" was applied universally across the versos of dozens of these 1870s mugshots in the early 1900s for exhibition and sale by convictarian John Watt Beattie who offered them for sale at his "Port Arthur Museum" located in Hobart. Beattie's collection was donated to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston in the 1930s from where copies were made and distributed to other state and national collections during the 1970s-1980s.
Press Reports 1870
The Tasmanian Times (Hobart Town, Tas.) Thu 26 May 1870 Page 2 No Title
Launceston Examiner (Tas.) Sat 28 May 1870 Page 3 FRIDAY, 27TH MAY.
Convicted on his own confession ...
William Harrison, alias Taylor, pleaded guilty to uttering a forged cheque at Alveston, near Deloraine, with intent to defraud. He was remanded for sentence....The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas.) Sat 4 Jun 1870 Page 13 RECORDER'S COURT LAUNCESTON.
William Harrison, convicted on his own confession of uttering a forged cheque, four years' imprisonment.
Police Records 1873-1875
William Harrison alias Taylor, was tried at the Recorder's Court Launceston, charged on 26 May 1870 with uttering a forged cheque, found guilty by his own confession. He was sentenced to four years. Although designated "free" he may have served time at the Port Arthur prison. His name, however, was not listed among the 109 prisoners on short term sentences who were tabled in the Tasmanian Parliament to be returned to the Hobart Gaol by July 1873. William Harrison was photographed by Thomas J. Nevin on discharge from the Hobart Gaol in the week ending 27 August 1873 per regulations in force in Victoria and NSW.
On the 8th January 1875, a warrant was issued for William Harrison's arrest for failure to join the whaling vessel Marie Laurie.
Warrant for the arrest of Wm Harrison, 8th January 1875
Source: Tasmania Reports of Crime for Police J. Barnard Gov't printer
TRANSCRIPT
HOBART TOWN, - On the 6th instant, by William Tarleton, Esquire, J. P., for the arrest of John Taylor, William Forster, Charles Brown, and William Harrison, charged with having, on the 26th ultimo, at Hobart Town, neglected to join the whaling vessel Marie Laurie, Description not furnished.
The NLA copy
The National Library of Australia (Canberra) holds this photograph of prisoner William Harrison, which may well one of the four duplicates which Thomas Nevin produced from his negative at the time of his one and only sitting with this prisoner since it bears no number on the mount underneath the image. It was therefore likely acquired by the donor to the NLA, private collector Dr Neil Gunson, before 1983. Only those fifty or more Tasmanian prisoner cdv's were numbered on the front under the image to keep track of them when they were removed from the Beattie Collection at the QVMAG and relocated for exhibition at the Port Arthur Conservation and Development Project (PACDP) in 1983-84.
NLA Catalogue: information taken from verso of the photograph
William Harrison, native, taken at Port Arthur, 1874
1 photograph on carte-de-visite mount : albumen ; 9.4 x 5.6 cm. on mount 10.5 x 6.3 cm.
Link: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-142917215
The PAHSMA copy
This torn black & white copy of the original photograph taken by T. J. Nevin at his one and only sitting with the prisoner in 1873 is held at the Port Arthur Historic Site, captioned with incomplete details. At one time in the early 2000s it was displayed online, and may have been printed as a black and white image earlier for a book publication.
CAPTION:
William Harrison was not sent to Australia for a crime. He had arrived in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) as a free man at an unknown date. Once there, in 1870, he was sentenced to four years at Port Arthur for forging a check [sic]. He served three years and was freed, with no further offenses to his name, He died in January 1890 of natural causes.Sources: Port Arthur Historic Site or Archives Office Tasmania [?]
