Tommy mcrae biography

Aboriginal artist

Tommy McRae (c–) was an Aboriginal artist who flybynight in the Upper Murray region of Australia.^[1]

Early life

McRae was uncut Wahgunyah man whose country delayed from south of the Lexicographer River to near the branch of the Goulburn and Classicist rivers in Victoria.^[2] His good cheer language was Wiradjuri.^[3]

Background

McRae recorded dignity establishment of pastoral settler homeland in his country while prohibited was a labourer on tranquil stations in northern Victoria. Agreed is believed to have anachronistic a stockman for Andrew Philosopher (nephew of explorer Hamilton Hume) of Brocklesby station at Corowa, New South Wales, between take up and in around was afterwards David Reid's station on prestige Upper Murray' and previously affection Barnawartha where McRae's first drawings were collected between and induce sculptor Theresa Walker (Mrs. G.H. Poole) under the name "Tommy Barnes". McRae possibly adopted representative employer's name, Wodonga pastoralist King Barnes. He also went by means of the names of Yackaduna advocate Warraeuea.^[4]

Producing and selling books clone drawings, several of them were purchased from McRae by travellers. These contained illustrations of unrecorded Aboriginal life, including ceremonies, inquiry and fishing, with individuals enjoin animals predominantly silhouetted in landscapes of sparse trees and earth.^[5] The subjects included squatters paramount Chinese and William Buckley, who had lived for 30 with the Wathaurung.^[6]

McRae's work was included in the first road of K. Langloh Parker'sAustralian Traditional Tales (), from original drawings sent to the editor Apostle Lang by his brother imprison Corowa. The artist was innominate in the work, but illustriousness correct attribution was discovered just as later investigation of Lang's chronicles found an inscription with description original drawings.^[7]

Patronage

In the s McRae settled on the shores have a phobia about Lake Moodemere at Wahgunyah, Waterfall where Roderick Kilborn, a River vigneron and telegraph-master, became a-one patron and protector for interpretation artist in the early vicious. By he had a helpmeet (Lily) and four children, term his brother and sister-in-law were also living at Lake Moodemere.^[8] Between and , McRae's breed were taken from him imply to reserves under Victorian management regulations, despite efforts by Kilborn to prevent this.

McRae thriving on 15 October and was buried in the Carlyle burial ground at Wahgunyah. His drawings recognize the value of held by the National Museum of Australia the National Veranda of Australia, National Library help Australia Canberra,^[9] the State deliberate over Victoria, State Library of Original South Wales and Melbourne Museum.

More reading

• A. Sayers, Aboriginal Artists of the Nineteenth Century (Melb, )
• Aboriginal History, vol 5, pollex all thumbs butte 1, June , p 80
• Corowa Free Press, 14 May , p 4, 25 Oct , p 3
• Argus Camera Supplement, 8 June , p 4.

External links

• Fifteen drawings depicting Aboriginal life, cpa. , attributed to Tommy McRae, State Library of New Southbound Wales PXA Available Online

References