Photographs, 1916-1943

Component identifier:

Series 1

Content Summary:

Consists of photos taken on the Hagen-Sepik Patrol, one roll (11/I) taken soon after at Kuta south of Mt Hagen in 1939 (probably by Mick Leahy who owned the camera), and 15 miscellaneous prints 1916-1943, relating to Taylor.

Of the photo sets the patrol made for official purposes and personal records, only Black's survived. Taylor's and the official sets were lost during World War II; Walsh's in the 1974 Brisbane flood. Black's set comprised unattributed prints, including 303 from the Leica camera which Taylor borrowed from Mick Leahy, and 31 cards totalling 945 contact prints from this Leica, numbered 1/A - 1/R, 1/Z (a duplicate of 1/A), 2A - 2/E, and II/1. All the 303 Leica prints were selected from the 945 card contact prints, which except for 11/I are clearly Taylor's.

To avoid assigning a different item number to a photo that is held both as a contact print and a Leica print, both the contact cards and the prints have parallel numbering. For example, Card 1 (Taylor's Card 1/A) is numbered MS 9218/1/1/1, while Leica print 1 from this card is numbered

MS 9218/1/1/1: A1. Thus photo binders 1-2 (the cards) and 3-5 (the Leica prints) all have a MS 9218/1/1 number.

Each card displays one film roll, originally of 36 prints but usually less here because some prints failed. Originally the cards were randomly numbered 1/A, 1/B, 1/C and so on, but are here arranged and numbered in their presumed chronological sequence: 1 = 1/A, 2 = 1/Z, 3 = 1/B, 4 = 1/F, 5 = 1/C and so on. Thus the first card (already marked 1/A) is MS 9218/1/1/1, the second (already marked 1/Z) MS 9218/1/1/2, and so on. Several cards have Taylor's margin notes ordering prints.

Contact prints for which a Leica print exists are starred (*).

In Taylor's hand, each Leica print has on reverse a number in pencil matching its parent contact print on a card: for example print A4 matches Card 1/A, contact print 4. This numbering is retained: A4 is thus MS 9218/1/1/1:A4; F7 is MS 9218/1/1/4:F7. For captions see the card listing for Files 1-2.

Then follow 15 miscellaneous prints 1916-1943, numbered MS 9218/1/5/32-47. Due to its large size, MS 9218/1/5/32 is filed at the rear of File 2 (Box 1); the remaining prints are in Photo Binder 5.

Some contact and Leica prints parallel prints Walsh took (MS 9219), and can thereby be located and dated. In 1998 Bill Gammage added captions; more information is in his The sky travellers.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The Taylor Papers were donated to the National Library by Bill Gammage, on behalf of Taylor's nephew Russ Robinson, in 1998. The core of the collection is comprised of records Taylor brought to Sydney in 1940 to prepare his report on the Hagen-Sepik Patrol. This material spans the period 1932-40, though Taylor also drew on other records relating to the Patrol in his assessment. On completing the report Taylor passed the records to his nephew, Russ Robinson, who in turn added papers to the collection. In 1986, at Taylor's request the records were lent by Robinson to Bill Gammage for his book about the Hagen-Sepik Patrol, entitled The sky travellers: journeys in New Guinea 1938-1939 (Melbourne University Press, 1998). Gammage added further Taylor records to the original body of papers, principally acquired from John Black and Ian Downs.

Names:

Jim Taylor

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