Prisoner James JONES alias Brocklehurst, known as Spider

Three duplicates or copies are extant in public collections from T. J. Nevin's original negative taken of prisoner James Jones alias James Brocklehurst at the Hobart Gaol in late February 1875 on Jones' discharge. This prisoner James Jones aka James Brocklehurst, known by the moniker "Spider" is not to be confused with the prisoner Elijah Elton, transported as Elisha Nelmes, who used the alias "John Jones" and was known by the moniker "Flash Jack", an error which has appeared on the National Library of Australia catalogue entry. Read more about Flash Jack here.

The National Library of Australia copy
This copy of the photograph of prisoner James Jones was donated to the NLA in  the 1960s as part of the Gunson collection of estrays from a defunct government department. It bears the number "209" on the mount, a number inscribed by late 20th century archivists on accession, and used by curators for several exhibitions held at the NLA and NPG Australia.





Prisoner James or William Jones alias James Brocklehurst per Theresa
Photographed by Thomas J. Nevin, Hobart Gaol, March 1875
Verso and mount carry the number "209"
Ref: PIC P1029/27a LOC Album 935/
National Library of Australia

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery copy
Possibly the first print to be mounted from Thomas Nevin's negative, the original sepia print from which this black and white copy was made was acquired by the QVMAG from the estate of convictarian John Watt Beattie on his death in 1930,  where it remains. It bears the earlier number "146" on the mount, which was used by the QVMAG for their exhibition in 1978 of a selection of T. J. Nevin's prisoner mugshots.





Verso of cdv of prisoner William or James Jones.
The mount is numbered "146" and the verso "209" which indicates the single capture by Thomas Nevin in 1875 was reprinted to be included on further copies of the prisoner's rap sheets.

The verso of this print shows three different accession numbers: the first QVMAG  147-19 originated in the 1930s; the second QVMAG 1958.78.22 originated in the 1950s; and the third QVMAG QVM: 1985:P:81 indicates when the black and white copies were made. It was in the 1980s that a visitor to the QVMAG, Chris Long, created the b&w copies for reasons best known to himself, since they are significantly less attractive than the original sepia albumen carte-de-visite produced by Thomas Nevin from his negative in the 1870s.

The Archives Office of Tasmania copy
The AOT copy was made in 1977-78 from the QVMAG copy bearing the number "146" on mount.


A photocopy was made at the AOT in the 1970s of the copy held at the QVMAG.
AOT Ref: PH30/1/3205
Caption: "William Jones (alias James Jiones and James Brocklehurst , convict per Theresa. Photograph taken at Port Arthur by Thomas Nevin." He was in fact photographed by Thomas Nevin, not at Port Arthur, but at the Hobart Gaol, in late February, early March 1875 on discharge.

POLICE RECORDS for James Jones

1872: Larceny



James Jones known as Spider, absconded, 26 June 1872



James Jones, alias Brocklehurst, 48 yrs old according to the police gazette notice, was arrested on 15 July 1872 by Sub-Inspector McVilley [sic. i.e. McVilly] of the Ross Police.



James Jones convicted during the week ending 7 September 1872 for larceny, and sentenced to 12 months.

1874: to the prison at Port Arthur



James Jones arrived at the Port Arthur prison on 17 January 1874, to serve 3 years.


1875: transferred to House of Corrections, Hobart.



James Jones alias Brocklehurst discharged at Hobart from a 3 yr sentence on 3 March 1875 for larceny and absconding, was transferred back to the House of Corrections, Hobart on 9 January 1875. He was photographed by T. J. Nevin on discharge, late February to early March 1875.

Source: Tasmania Reports of Crime for Police, (weekly police gazettes) J. Barnard, Gov't Printer.

Prisoner Thomas OWENS with headrest

HEADREST
SUPREME COURT CONVICTION

This carte-de-visite prisoner identification photograph of Thomas Owens is held at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. It was originally held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, donated from government estrays in the 1930s as part of the Beattie collection of convictaria where it was archived on recto with the number "49". It was removed for exhibition at the Port Arthur Historic Site in 1983, and returned to the TMAG rather than to the QVMAG.  See the QVMAG list here.



Prisoner OWENS, Thomas
TMAG Ref: Q15575
Photographer: Thomas J. Nevin



Verso:Prisoner OWENS, Thomas
TMAG Ref: Q15575
Photographer: Thomas J. Nevin


Thomas Owens was photographed by Thomas J. Nevin at the Hobart Gaol sometime between Owen's transfer from the Launceston Supreme Court in 1870 with a sentence of 4 yrs for housebreaking, and his discharge in the last week of September 1873. Several duplicates were printed from Nevin's original glass plate at the Hobart Gaol: the photocopy of another duplicate (below), printed from the same negative, is held at the Archives Office of Tasmania with a different set of recto inscriptions. The verso transcription "Taken at Port Arthur 1874" on the TMAG item (above) was written on the versos of hundreds more of these 1870s prisoner photographs in the early 1900s by Beattie's Studio for exhibition and sale in Hobart and Sydney.



Archives Office of Tasmania
Reference PH30/1/4113
Thomas Owens, convict per Gilmore. Photo taken by Thomas Nevin
Date: 1874 circa

This is another print of Nevin's glass negative of prisoner Thomas Owens which is held at the Archives Office of Tasmania.The headrest is clearly visible in this print as well. The details of the subject's pose, direction of gaze, and clothing, as well as the technical details of camera distance and vignette frame, are similar to the rest of the batch of prisoner identification photographs taken by government contractor T. J. Nevin. It was taken at the Hobart Gaol, most likely in the fortnight prior to Owen's discharge in 1873, and not at Port Arthur in 1874. The verso transcription "Taken at Port Arthur 1874" was written on the versos of hundreds of these 1870s prisoner photographs in the early 1900s by Beattie's Studio for exhibitions and sale in Hobart and Sydney.

Unlike the cdv held at the TMAG , this paper print held at the Archives Office does not carry a number written on the mount just below the photo, which is an indication that it was not reprinted in the 1900s by John Watt Beattie nor reprinted by the Archives Office of Tasmania or the QVMAG. It may have been the original pasted to the prisoner's record sheet held at the Hobart Gaol, and removed decades later by someone attempting to identify an ancestor. This print bears the name "Howard White" and "Trans (ported? illegible) 1832" which supposedly indicates the prisoner's name and the date he was transported to Van Diemen's Land. The handwritten inscriptions on recto could have been written any time from when the photograph was removed from the prisoner's criminal sheet up until the mid to late 20th century.

POLICE RECORDS
The AOT's record of the name of this prisoner for this image is "Thomas Owens" and not "Howard White". The police record for Owens on discharge indicates yet another alias, Michael Foxley. The man pictured here is likely to be the prisoner by the name of Thomas Owens per Gilmore 1who was discharged between 27th September and October 1st, 1873, aged 62 years. As was standard judicial practice, Nevin registered his photo of Owens for the Hobart Supreme Court and included a further duplicate in the Town Hall Municipal Police Photo Books on the prisoner's discharge from the Hobart Gaol. When he was discharged, Owens returned to Launceston where he died a few months later of heart disease, on 21 February 1874.



But by the 21st February, 1874, Owens was dead; he had died of heart disease, aged 64 years.



Inquest on the death of Thomas Owens at Launceston, 21 Feb 1874.

Source: Tasmania Reports of Crime Information for Police 1871-1875. J. Barnard Gov't Printer.

Prisoner John GREGSON

Multiple copies or duplicates of this photograph are extant in public collections. It was taken by Thomas J. Nevin of absconder John Gregson at a single sitting at the Municipal Police Office Hobart Town Hall on February 18th, 1874 after Gregson's arrival from Launceston where he was arrested with his brother Frances Gregson.

The TMAG copy/duplicate





Prisoner John GREGSON
TMAG Ref: Q15577
Photographer: Thomas J. Nevin

The National Library of Australia copies/duplicates
These two very clean copies or duplicates of Nevin's prints from his glass negative taken in February 1874 are held at the NLA, photographed in December 2016.



Prisoner John Gregson, NLA copies x 2
Photographed by T. J. Nevin at the Hobart MPO February 1874
Photographs taken at the NLA 16 December 2016
Copyright © KLW NFC 2016 ARR Watermarked



Versos: Prisoner John Gregson, NLA copies x 2
Photographed by T. J. Nevin at the Hobart MPO February 1874
Photographs taken at the NLA 16 December 2016
Copyright © KLW NFC 2016



NLA Catalogue notes verso transcription
nla.pic-vn4269980 PIC P1029/20a LOC Album 935 John Gregson, native, taken at Port Arthur, 1874 [picture] 1874. 1 photograph on carte-de-visite mount : albumen ; 9.4 x 5.6 cm. on mount 10.5 x 6.3 cm.

Police Records



These are the prisoner identifications photographs mounted in carte-de-visite frames of Francis and John Gregson, photographed by Thomas J. Nevin at the MPO Hobart, on their arrest February 20th, 1874. Duplicates are held at the NLA, the TMAG, and the AOT.



The Gregson brothers were convicted, 9th October, 1871 for five and six year sentences.



Gregsons absconded January 9th, 1874



Gregsons arrested February 20th, 1874



Source: Tasmania Reports of Crime Information for Police 1871-1880. J. Barnard, Gov't Printer.

The Gregsons were discharged 27th January, 1875, and were photographed again by Nevin in the preceeding week. They were not photographed at Port Arthur before January 9th, 1874. They escaped from the Domain in Hobart on that date and were photographed on arrest one month later by Nevin when they were received and sent to the Hobart Gaol.They were photographed at the Police Office Hobart on February 18th 1874 after arrival from Launceston when arrested (see TAHO: CON37-1-1000498 and 9).



John and Francis Gregson, sentenced 18th Feb, 1874 at the Police Office, Hobart
TAHO Ref: CON37-1-1000498 and 9

Samuel Page's Coach Line
Page's coach line conveyed prisoners in irons, accompanied by constables such as Constable John Nevin, Thomas Nevin's brother and photographic assistant, from Launceston and regional lock-ups to the Hobart Gaol.



This notice about the Gregsons appeared in The Mercury, 19th February 1874

TRANSCRIPT
By Page's coach yesterday morning, three prisoners were brought down from Launceston in irons, under the charge of Superintendent Tinmins and Sub-inspector Clements, of the Hamilton Police. Two of the prisoners, named Gregson, absconded from this city [i.e. Hobart] some seven or eight weeks ago, and made their way through the back country to their sister's residence in Launceston, where they were arrested. The other one, Mitchell, is known by several names. He absconded from the Launceston gaol, and having been arrested in the country, has now been removed, and with the Gregsons, placed in the gaol here.





"By Page's coach yesterday morning, three prisoners were brought down in irons ..."

Above: Original photograph by T.J. Nevin with the figure of Tom Davis and Burdon's company name painted out (QMAG Collection Ref: 1987_P_0220). Tom Davis was a coach painter. The verso bears Nevin's Royal Arms insignia stamp used for government commissions, in this instance for the Royal Mail coach.

"By Page's coach yesterday morning, three prisoners were brought down in irons ..."

Inscription: handwritten on the reverse:
"From same photo held at Entally/ painted out background/ Burdons Coach Factory/ Man on r.h.s. of photo Tom Davis (has been painted out)/ 1872/ A.B. McKellar 328 Liverpool St/ coach body maker employed at Burdon and son when this coach was built"

This is an original photograph by T.J. Nevin with the figure of Tom Davis and Burdon's company name painted out (QMAG Collection Ref: 1987_P_0220). Tom Davis was a coach painter. The verso bears Nevin's Royal Arms insignia stamp used for government commissions, in this instance for the Royal Mail coach.

RELATED POSTS main weblog

Prisoner George EDIKER

PRISONER GEORGE EDIKER Attempted rape conviction
PHOTOGRAPHER T. J. NEVIN 1874 Hobart Gaol



NLA Catalogue (incorrect information)
Verso transcribed with: George Ediker, per Oriental Queen, Taken at Port Arthur, 1874
Part of collection: Convict portraits, Port Arthur, 1874.
Gunson Collection file 203/ 7/ 54.
Title from inscription on reverse.
Inscription: "253 & 254"--On reverse.
nla.pic-vn4270382

POLICE RECORDS
George Ediker was tried for attempting to rape in the Supreme Court Hobart on 6th December 1864 and incarcerated at Port Arthur prison and Hobart Gaol for 10 years. He was photographed on discharge from the Hobart Gaol by Thomas J. Nevin on 9th December 1874. Later records in the 1880s show he was housed a pauper at one of Hobart's Invalid Depots.



Source: Tasmania Reports of Crime for Police (police gazette)

George Ediker was photographed by T. J. Nevin on the prisoner's discharge from the Hobart Gaol on 9th December 1874.



Source: Tasmania Reports of Crime for Police (police gazette)

George Ediker was discharged from the New Town Invalid Depot, 8th June 1883 at his own request.

Prisoner Walter JOHNSTONE aka Henry BRAMALL or TAYLOR



NLA Catalogue (incorrect information)
Part of collection: Convict portraits, Port Arthur, 1874.; Gunson Collection file 203/7/54.; Title from inscription on reverse. Two copies of the same image, one of which has been hand coloured.; Condition: Foxing lower left and right and upper left.; Inscription: title and "71"--In ink on reverse.

POLICE RECORDS





Henry Taylor was tried at the Supreme Court Hobart on 4th July 1871, along with John Appleby, one of the first photographs of prisoners taken by T.J. Nevin at the Supreme Court Hobart. The photograph of Taylor aka Bramall or Johnston(e) was hand coloured by Nevin's studio and placed in his shop window to assist the public in recognition and recapture of the prisoner when he absconded on February 6, 1874 from a gang at the Cascade factory.



Auto adjusted to show the colouring, especially the prison scarf painted onto the prisoner's neck.



Johnstone aka Bramall or Taylor absconded, reported February 6, 1874
Source: Tasmania Reports on Crime for Police Information

RELATED POSTS



Prisoner George LANGLEY

SUPREME COURT CONVICTION 1873



NLA Catalogue (incorrect information)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4506237
Title George Langley, per John Renwick, taken at Port Arthur, 1874 [picture].
Extent 1 photograph on carte-de-visite mount : albumen ; 9.4 x 5.6 cm. on mount 10.5 x 6.3 cm
Part of collection: Convict portraits, Port Arthur, 1874.
Gunson Collection file 203/7/54.
Title from inscription on verso.
Inscription: "127 ; George Langley, per John Renwick, taken at Port Arthur, 1874"--In ink on verso.

POLICE RECORDS



George Langley was sent to trial for murder. police gazette of  27 June 1873.



George Langley was arraigned in the Supreme Court 15 July 1873, incarcerated at the Hobart Gaol and photographed by T. J. Nevin there before he sent to Port Arthur. He arrived at Port Arthur on 9th August 1876 and discharged to freedom on 19th July 1877.



George Langley arrived at Port Arthur 9th August 1876
Transferred to the Hobart Gaol 19th July 1877
Port Arthur Conduct Register 1873-76
TAHO Ref: CON94-1-2_00034_S

His sentence was remitted in 1877.



George Langley was discharged to freedom from Port Arthur on 19th - 25th July, 1877.


Prisoner William HARRISON 1873

NATIVE BORN PRISONERS
DUPLICATES and COPIES



Prisoner HARRISON, William
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Ref: Q15579
Verso transcription: 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: 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 to tourists in the collection of convictarian John Watt Beattie at his "Port Arthur Museum" located in Hobart. His collection was donated to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston in 1930 from where copies such as the two below were distributed to other state and national collections.

Press Reports 1870



The Tasmanian Times (Hobart Town, Tas. : 1867 - 1870) Thu 26 May 1870 Page 2 No Title



Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899) 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....
William Harrison, convicted on his own confession of uttering a forged cheque, four years' imprisonment.
The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas. : 1835 - 1880) Sat 4 Jun 1870 Page 13 RECORDER'S COURT LAUNCESTON.

Police Records 1873-1875



William Harrison as Taylor, was tried at the Recorder's Court Launceston and charged on 26 May 1870 with uttering a forged cheque on his own confession. He was sentenced to four years. He may have served time at the Port Arthur prison although his name was not listed among the 109 prisoners on short term who were tabled in Parliament to be returned to the Hobart Gaol by July 1873. William Harrison was discharged from Hobart and photographed by Thomas J. Nevin on 27 August 1873.

On the 8th January 1875, a warrant was issued for William Harrison's arrest for failure to join the whaling vessel Marie Laurie. The name "Taylor" was included in the warrant, which may have been an alias, as was the name "Forster" which may have been Charles Brown's alias. William Forster and/or Charles Brown was also photographed by Thomas J. Nevin when Forster/Brown surrendered himself at the Hobart Gaol, Campbell Street.



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 National library of Australia holds this print, a copy of the same image held at the Tasmanian Museum and Art, with the same information transcribed verso.



NLA Catalogue (incorrect information)
nla.pic-vn4269993 PIC P1029/24 LOC Album 935 William Harrison, native, taken at Port Arthur, 1874 [picture] 1874. 1 photograph on carte-de-visite mount : albumen ; 9.4 x 5.6 cm. on mount 10.5 x 6.3 cm.

A torn black & white copy of the original taken by T. J. Nevin (the TMAG and NLA collections) is held at the Port Arthur Historic Site with incomplete details.




Australia's FIRST MUGSHOTS

PLEASE NOTE: Below each image held at the National Library of Australia is their catalogue batch edit which gives the false impression that all these "convict portraits" were taken solely because these men were transported convicts per se (i.e before cessation in 1853), and that they might have been photographed as a one-off amateur portfolio by a prison official at the Port Arthur prison in 1874, which they were not. Any reference to the Port Arthur prison official A. H. Boyd on the NLA catalogue records is an error, a PARASITIC ATTRIBUTION with no basis in fact. The men in these images were photographed in the 1870s-1880s because they were repeatedly sentenced as habitual offenders whose mugshots were taken on arrest, trial, arraignment, incarceration and/or discharge by government contractor, police and prisons photographer T. J. Nevin at the Supreme Court and adjoining Hobart Gaol with his brother Constable John Nevin, and at the Municipal Police Office, Hobart Town Hall when appearing at The Mayor's Court. The Nevin brothers produced over a thousand originals and duplicates of Tasmanian prisoners, the bulk now lost or destroyed. The three hundred extant mugshots were the random estrays salvaged - and reproduced in many instances- for sale at Beattie's local convictaria museum in Hobart and at interstate exhibitions associated with the fake convict ship Success in the early 1900s. The mugshots were selected on the basis of the prisoner's notoriety from the Supreme Court trial registers (Rough Calendar), the Habitual Criminals Registers (Gaol Photo Books), warrant forms, and police gazettes records of the 1870s-1880s. The earliest taken on government contract by T. J. Nevin date from 1872. The police records sourced here are from the weekly police gazettes which were called (until 1884) Tasmania Reports of Crime Information for Police 1871-1885. J. Barnard, Gov't Printer.