Thomas J. Nevin | Tasmanian Photographer: G.T. Stilwell's letter to Mrs Shelverton

Click on image for large readable version (transcript below)

Preparations began in early 1977 for the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery's exhibition of Thomas J. Nevin's Port Arthur convict photos dated 1874 which were found among their John Watt Beattie holdings donated to the QVMAG shortly before Beattie's death in 1930.

The late Geoffrey Stilwell , who was curator of Special Collections at the State Library of Tasmania, collected biographical data on Thomas J. Nevin from a diverse range of sources, including information from this descendant, Mrs Jean Shelverton, a grand-daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Nevin. Mrs Shelverton's mother Mary Ann, known as Minnie Drew to living descendants, was born to Thomas and Elizabeth Nevin on November 9th, 1884, in Hobart, Tasmania.

TRANSCRIPT of letter to Mrs Shelverton, dated 25 February 1977:

Dear Mrs Shelverton

Miss Beatrice Kelly suggested I write to you. I understand from her that you are a descendant of Thomas J. Nevin the photographer who succeeded to Alfred Bock's practice in the late 1860s. The Queen Victoria Museum has a large number of photographs by Nevin of the convicts at Port Arthur taken in the early 'seventies. They are soon to display these and are keen to have biographical information about the photographer. I wonder if you could tell me anything about him such as where he was born and when, when he came to Australia, did he come straight to Tasmania, had he any previous photographic training, where and when and to whom he was married and when and where he died. I am sorry to ask so many questions but there is now a great interest in our early photographers and it is important these details be recorded.

Yours sincerely,

(G.T.S.) initials

G.T. Stilwell

LIBRARIAN, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

GTS/DMM

One document in summary which was prepared by the library (below), using either Mrs Shelverton's information or details from elsewhere, shows some confusion about the middle letter "J" in Thomas Nevin's name. It was inserted by hand.

This is significant for several reasons: the "J" appears on Nevin's studio stamp on the verso of several cartes coupled with the government lion and unicorn insignia from ca1871, including the prisoner cartes at the QVMAG, but he was married without the "J" in his name; he was listed on the Electoral Rolls for 1883 and 1905 without the "J" in his name; and he was buried at the Cornelian Bay cemetery in 1923 without the "J" in his name.

His second child and first-born son who was born in 1874 was also named Thomas Nevin with a "J" for James in his name. Thomas James Nevin (1874-1948), known as "Sonny" to the family, did not become a photographer. He was listed as a bootmaker on the 1905 electoral rolls, lived in California with his wife Gertrude Tennyson Bates in the 1920s, and joined the Salvation Army in Hobart sometime in the 1940s. His photograph can be viewed here.

From the State Library of Tasmania G.T. Silwell files

The "J" was inserted on this document probably because the QVMAG had noted that the name "T. J. Nevin" appears in the photographer's stamp on the verso of their convict cartes. Since the "J" is also absent from his earlier studio stamps, it is possible that the "J" may signify the inclusion of Thomas Nevin's younger brother John Nevin (known as Jack to the family, listed in records also as William John, 1851-1891, d. aged 40 years old), who was his partner in their New Town photographic business, and who was employed at various times at the Hobart Gaol where he assisted his brother Thomas in taking photographs of prisoner arrivals, transfers, and release on ticket-of-leave (1877-1884). Jack Nevin's portrait by Thomas Nevin can be seen here. No information has come to light about the sister Rebecca. Mary Anne Nevin, the other sister, was photographed by her brother Thomas Nevin ca. 1871, so too were his parents Mary and John Nevin, and his wife Elizabeth Rachel Day. All of these portraits are viewable on this site in the category Thomas Nevin's Family Portraits.

In April 1977 Geoffrey Stilwell conveyed the Nevin family's biographical information per Mrs Shelverton to the curator of Nevin's convict photographs exhibition at the QVMAG, John McPhee, in this letter:

Click on image for large readable version (transcript below)

Source: State Library of Tasmania 1977, supplied by Geoffrey Stilwell, Special Collections,

All copies courtesy of the State Library of Tasmania.

TRANSCRIPT of letter to John McPhee, curator, QVMAG, dated 4 April, 1977.

Dear Mr McPhee,

At last I have some biographical details about Thomas Nevin though I am afraid these are somewhat late for your exhibition. These were mainly supplied by his granddaughter Mrs Shelverton.

Thomas Nevin was born on 28 August 1842 near Belfast, Northern Ireland (Mrs S[helverton]). He was the son of Private John Nevin and Mary his wife whom he accompanied on the convict ship Fairlie which arrived at Hobart Town in July 1852. John who was one of the guards of this vessel was also accompanied by his other children Mary A. and Rebecca both under fourteen and Will[iam] J under a year old (MB2/98).

The following marriage notice appeared in the Mercury of 14 July 1871.

NEVIN-DAY - On Wednesday, 12th July, at the Wesleyan Chapel, Kangaroo Valley, by the Rev. J. Hutchison [sic], Thomas, eldest son of Mr. J. Nevin, of Kangaroo Valley, to Elizabeth Rachael, eldest daughter of Captain Day, of Hobart Town.

Kangaroo Valley is now know as Lenah Valley. From about 1876 to 1880 he lived at the Town Hall, Hobart as caretaker. Two of his four sons were born at the Town Hall residence. He had in addition two daughters one of whom was Mrs Shelverton's mother.*

According to Mrs Shelverton he died about 1922, she is not sure of the date, and was buried at Cornelian Bay. The tombstone has now fallen over.

Yours sincerely,
[signed] G.T. STILWELL
Librarian, Special Collections

This was only the beginning of G.T. Stilwell's research. Later in 1977, two more grand daughters of Thomas Nevin visited the exhibition at the QVMAG in Launceston, providing him with further details. In 1978, a great grand daughter interviewed G.T. Stilwell at length, providing him with details about photographic items by Nevin and the firm Nevin & Smith held by other members of the family, and G.T. Stilwell - off the record - conveyed some vital information about documents he had sighted which confirmed his conviction of Nevin's attribution as the photographer of the convict cartes, a conviction he later published with Prof. Joan Kerr in 1992.

G. T. Stilwell