Letterbooks of Morton Allport (ALL19)
Source: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Record/Archives/ALL19
ALERT: please note ...
The resources in this article contain offensive language and negative stereotypes. Such primary historical documents should be seen in the context of the period and as a reflection of attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The items are part of the historical record, and do not represent the views of this weblog.
The many references to photographs in Morton Allport's early letters written before 1868 relate to fish, fauna, landscapes and family portraits. Only later, from 1871 does it become clear he is trading in Aboriginal skulls and skeletons with anatomists and collectors in the UK for recognition, rewards and membership of the most prestigious scientific organisations in England and Europe.
The Book: Cassandra Pybus on Morton Allport (2024)
In her latest book A Very Secret Trade, Professor Cassandra Pybus explores the sensitive and troubling history of the removal and trade of Tasmanian Aboriginal remains.ABC Radio Hobart interview with Lucy Cutting 5 May 2024
She estimates 168 skulls and full skeletons of Tasmanian Aboriginal people were stolen and distributed to private and public collections around the world.
Pybus believes the figure is a "massive" underestimation of the true number of Indigenous remains that were traded in 19th century Van Diemen's Land.
A Very Secret Trade is the third in a trilogy exploring the author's own family history alongside - and in collision with - Tasmanian Aboriginal lives.
She said she was not prepared for what her research would uncover.
Pybus said she is very anxious about how the book will be received, but believes it is a story that must be told.
"We are regarded as the luckiest people in the world, we regard ourselves that way," Professor Pybus said. "How did we get to do that, at whose cost was that?"
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/hobart-sundays/cassandra-pybus-new-book-a-very-secret-trade/103806698
The book: A Very Secret Trade: The dark story of gentlemen collectors in Tasmania
The video: Lecture delivered to the AGM, Royal Society of Tasmania
The podcast: Uncovering Tasmania's gruesome past with Richard Fidler, ABC RN.
Pybus, Cassandra (2024) A Very Secret Trade: The dark story of gentlemen collectors in Tasmania
Allen & Unwin, 30 Apr 2024 - History - 336 pages
The Video: March 11, 2024
AGM 2024 Lecture. Morton Allport: the resurrection man of the Royal Society of Tasmania
https://www.youtube.com/@theroyalsocietyoftasmania3505
https://youtu.be/TOZueVJohag?feature=shared
Cassandra Pybus "Morton Allport: the resurrection man of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1862-1876". “Resurrection man” is the 19th century term for a person who secretly exhumes bodies from the grave to trade or sell for personal gain. In the 1860s and 1870s, stealing remains from graves from Oyster Cove and Flinders Island was an important sideline business for the prominent Hobart lawyer Morton Allport. This illegal activity has not been publicly known in Tasmania despite having been well-documented in his business letterbooks and accessible to researchers for many decades in the Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts established in 1972.
The Podcast: May 26, 2024
Cassandra Pybus: Uncovering Tasmania's gruesome past | ABC Conversations Podcast
YouTube: https://youtu.be/I9AZ8EyWcPA?feature=shared
By his own hand ....
Central to Cassandra Pybus's case are these two letters dated 23 January and 8 August 1873 from Morton Allport (Tasmania) to Dr Joseph Barnard Davis (UK) which explicitly refer to the skulls of Augustus and Caroline, and dissection of Aboriginal woman Patty's unburied "perfect" skeleton. The skeleton sent to Brussels is the focus of Pybus's ongoing research.
1873, January 23:
Where Allport talks about ABORIGINAL SKULLS and SKELETONS
TRANSCRIPT Book 4
Page 107-108
Hobart TownSource: Series Letterbooks of Morton Allport (ALL19)
23rd Jany 1873
Dear Sir,
Many thanks for your letter of 15th Septr. last and the pamphlet on the [Aino?] skeleton & skulls which arrived by the same post and which I at once perused with great interest.
In a case forwarded per “Ethel” to “G.W. Wheatley & Co. 156 Leadenhall St. London there is a parcel for you containing two casts of skulls of Tasmanian aborigines known as “Augustus” and “Caroline”. Two stone implements of our aborigines and four sets of photographs from skulls in the possession of the Royal Society of Tasmanian. Please arrange for obtaining the parcel on the arrival of the “Ethel”.
The stone implements as you will see are of the roughest possible description but I have plenty of proof that they were found in the shell mounds left by the natives and far from where the rock occurs in situ. These stones were chiefly used for skinning animals but sometimes for cutting notches in the bark of the gum trees when ascending them.
The photographs may or may not be interesting, if not burn them.
Since the parcel was despatched I have secured a treasure for you in the shape of an adult male skeleton of Tasmanian native all but absolutely perfect. Skull perfect except as to the styloid processes which always seem very fragile – every tooth in position. All the vertebrae to the very end of the sacrum are present (in the specimens at the Anthropological Institute & College of Surgeons the [os coccyse?] is I think missing) all the ribs perfect – sternum perfect all the main bones of the limbs perfect and out of the 106 bones of the hands & feet only some two or three of the final phalanges are gone. It is altogether a most noble specimen & will I am sure be highly valued. It shall be sent your address by the next ship leaving this probably the “Wagoola” and when shipped I will write you again.
Please accept this as a present and expend anything you would have been willing to give for it in the articulating and figuring it our only bargain being that I am to have 3 copies of any publications in reference to it one for myself, one for our Royal Society’s library and one of for our public Library.
I remain
Yours sincerely
Morton Allport [sender]
Dr. J. Barnard Davis [addressee]
Shelton Haules
Staffordshire
Start Date 03 Nov 1871 End Date 10 Jan 1874
Links: Book 4. https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Record/Archives/ALL19-1-4
1873, 8 August:
Where Morton Allport talks about DISSECTION and DISEMINATION of Aboriginal bodies
Book 4: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-4/ALL19-1-4_13
Book 4: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-4/ALL19-1-4_14
Book 4: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-4/ALL19-1-4_15
Book 4: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-4/ALL19-1-4_16
Book 4: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-4/ALL19-1-4_17
Book 4: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-4/ALL19-1-4_18
TRANSCRIPT Book 4
Page 178
Hobart TownSource: Series Letterbooks of Morton Allport (ALL19)
8th August 1873
My dear Sir,
Your letters of April 13. May 4. May 23 and June 3. all reached me in due course and subsequently I received the beautiful book which I prize highly and shall read with great interest. You who have so many historical remains round you of various eras can scarcely imagine the utter want of such sources of interesting study which we in Australia suffer under and therefore nothing you could have sent me could have given me more pleasure than the “Crania Britannica.”
I must now do my best to answer your questions in the order in which I received them. The originals of the casts sent you were the “Augustus” and “Caroline” of Flinders Island but they both died at Oyster Cove after the station at Flinders was broken up. You are quite right in your conjecture that our Aborigines used two sorts of rock for their implements the best were made of a rock containing a large percentage of Silex due probably to the action of hot springs. The others & most numerous were made of an indurated clay rock.
In the Museum of our Royal Society there is one recent skeleton (I mean one dissected out not having been buried) of a Tasmanian woman “Patty” or “Cooneana” and this specimen is perfect.
There is another nearly perfect male which was obtained from Flinders Island and which is in precisely the same condition as that sent to you. This is the skeleton of “[Malabackanissua?]” who was leading Chief of the tribe roaming over the Southern end of the Island, where Hobart Town now stands, when Tasmania was first colonized.
A third specimen consists of the greater part of the skeleton of the (so called) last male aborigine “William Lanney”. Of this specimen the head and two vertebrae were stolen from the general Hospital Hobart Town by one of the Medical officers and the skull is now believed to be in London in the possession of one of the students at Grey’s (a Mr Bingham Crowther) where you might very possibly see it if you carefully conceal the fact that you obtained this information from me. I have said the so called last male because there have been strong ground for suspecting that Lanney was a half cast and the form of the head, as seen in the photography, is utterly unlike the true Tasmanian.
If you get an opportunity of examining this skull I should much like to have your opinion as to its genuineness.
Of skulls, besides those of Caroline & Augustus, we have 9 specimens of undoubted authenticity two being remarkably sp shaped and coming from the tribe which inhabited the lake district on the high central plateau of the Island.
There are 7 other skulls said to be of Aborigines some of which are doubtful and some of which are unquestionably not Tasmanian. There are two good casts of faces taken after death one marked “Deviah Shert” and the other marked “Bethengie” of these copies could be sent you but we have no record of the originals.
We have also a good bust in plaster of “Woureddy” a Copy of which you probably have.
Your specimen was obtained at Flinders Island & was buried while the station was there but no record was kept of the person. Its good condition was due to the nature of the soil, dry sandy loam.
Shouldn’t I dearly like to see the result of your Articulator’s labours? But fear the probabilities are strongly against me as it is not easy to leave a Solicitor’s business to take care of itself and I should also find it difficult to leave my good parents who have been 40 years in this Colony.
Any other questions you send me I will do my best to answer and when you next write I should be glad to hear how you treat the bones before using the gelatine also what proportion of gelatine you use & how.
Any memorandum from you however short about the skeleton or any peculiarity in any part of it would be greatly valued by our Royal Society if it would not press too heavily upon your time.
One other skeleton from Flinders Island is on its way to Europe destined for the Museum at Brussels.
Again thanking you for the Book. I remain
Yours Faithfully
Morton Allport [sender]
Dr F. Barnard Davis [addressee]
[Shelton?]
P.S. I am sorry to find that part of the sternum was wanting in your skeleton but would suggest that the missing bone might be copied from that in the Anthropological Institute or at the College of Surgeons. M.A.
Start Date 03 Nov 1871 End Date 10 Jan 1874
Links: Book 4. https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Record/Archives/ALL19-1-4
Focus on Truganini
Morton Allport shifts his attention to Truganini who was still alive in 1875 - she died 8th May 1876.
1875, 28 November:
Where he talks about PHOTOGRAPHS and BUST of TRUGANINI
TRANSCRIPT Book 5
Page 187-189
28th Novr. 5 [1875]
Dear Sir, Yours of August 15th duly reached me and I have posted Bleeker’s Fishes to your address as requested.
Many thanks for the additional memoir which I have handed to our Public Library.
I will endeavour to get you the Photograph of Truganina & post it by the mail following this. She is still living though she suffered severely from bronchitis during the past winter. I often have a chat with her about her old trips with Robinson.
The bust you speak of was by a man named Law who took casts from a number of the Aborigines years ago.
Pray give kind remembrances to Dr. [Milligan] from me when next you see him as we were fellow workers on the Council of our Royal Soc. many years ago though I never get a line from him now.
Iain from whom you obtained the skull was a General collector of all sorts of objects & his localities are to accepted with some caution as the most painstaking men who do not actually kill & preserve their specimens are sure to be constantly misled and from all I have heard he was no exception to the rule.
I have not gathered from your letters that you take much interest in minerals but if you do you will be much astonished at the discoveries of Tin & Iron on our Northern Coast.
The deposits of both are of great richness & the quantity seems unlimited – the export of Tin will probably reach 1000 tons during the next 12 months & that from a Country which produced none three years ago. One effect is a steady rise in the value of property which means an increase of business so that I really begin to hope I may some day visit England again.
Please add my name (if not too late) to the list of subscribers to the Supplement to Thesaurus Craniorum & believe me
Yours sincerely
Morton Allport [sender]
R. J. Barnard Davis [addressee]
Shelton Hauley
Staffordshire
Source: Series Letterbooks of Morton Allport (ALL19)
Start Date 07 Aug 1874 End Date 08 Jul 1876
Links: Book 5. https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-5
National Library of Australia
Baily, H. H. (1866). [Portrait of Truganini]
Link: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136734375
TRANSCRIPT Book 5
Page 213
26th Decr. 5 [1875]
Dear Sir,
Enclosed are two of the Photographs of Truganina by Baily which gives a very good idea of her actual appearance at the present time as she has quite recovered from her recent illness and may remain the last of her race many years.
Yours sincerely
Morton Allport [sender]
Dr. J. Barnard Davis [addressee]
Shelton Hanley
Staffordshire
Source: Series Letterbooks of Morton Allport (ALL19)
Start Date 07 Aug 1874 End Date 08 Jul 1876
Links: https://libraries.tas.gov.au/Digital/ALL19-1-5
Morton ALLPORT & the NEVIN family
Morton Allport took photographs of his wife Elizabeth (Ritchie) Allport (1835-1925) at all stages of their marriage until his death in 1878 but none quite so appealing has survived as this photograph taken of her by Thomas J. Nevin ca. 1875 at his studio, 140 Elizabeth St. Hobart Town:
Portrait of Elizabeth Allport nee Ritchie (1835-1925)
Photographer: T. J. Nevin Photographic Artist ca. 1876
Location: 140 Elizabeth St. Hobart Town
Details: full-length carte-de-visite, albumen print
Verso bears T. J. Nevin's government contractor stamp with Royal insignia
Scans are courtesy of © The Liam Peters Collection 2010. All rights reserved.
Verso of portrait of Elizabeth Allport nee Ritchie (1835-1925)
Photographer: T. J. Nevin Photographic Artist ca. 1876
Location: 140 Elizabeth St. Hobart Town
Details: full-length carte-de-visite, albumen print
Verso bears T. J. Nevin's government contractor stamp with Royal insignia
Scans are courtesy of © The Liam Peters Collection 2010. All rights reserved.
The verso of this cdv bears the Royal Arms colonial warrant insignia used by all government contractors of the period. Thomas Nevin's design for this stamp as distinct from his New Town stamp and impress, was more formal - the use of initials alone with his surname plus the designation "Photographic Artist" above the Royal Insignia to signify that he was engaged in contractual work for the government while still operating as a commercial photographer from his Elizabeth St. studio. His contractor's stamp on the verso of Elizabeth Allport's portrait certifies this photograph as a sitting commissioned by her husband Morton Allport who represented the colonial government in many endeavours to do with fisheries, zoology, education, and photography at international and intercolonial exhibitions.
Morton Allport was a close family friend and supporter of Thomas J. Nevin's sister Mary Ann Nevin when she applied for aid of £25 p.a. to open a school at Kangaroo Valley in October 1865. The application was rejected on the grounds that the children named as prospective students resided closer to the Public School at New Town, and that the road to Kangaroo Valley was bad. The rejection of her application for school aid, published by the Mercury on 11th October 1865, mentioned support from photographer and naturalist Morton Allport with an offer of a memorial, without specifying details or purpose of the memorial.
Other Resources
BOOKS and ARTICLES
MacDonald, Helen Patricia (2006) Human Remains: Dissection and Its Histories (Yale University Press)
MacDonald, Helen (2004) 'The Bone Collectors', New Literatures Review, 42, October 2004, pp.45-56
Plomley, N. J. B., (1962) A list of Tasmanian Aboriginal material in collections in Europe (Launceston, Tas.: Museum Committee, Launceston City Council, 1962), 18 pp.
Turnbull, Paul (2007). Scientific theft of remains in colonial Australia - Australian Indigenous Law Review 7. https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/AUIndigLawRw/2007/7.html
Among the skeletons that Allport stole from the Flinders Island cemetery was the near complete skeleton of a Tasmanian man that he presented to the Anthropological Society of London in 1873. The skeleton is now among the remains at the Natural History Museum sought by the TAC.Turnbull, Paul (2008)'The lure of Aboriginal bodies - the polygenists', in B. Douglas & C. Ballard (eds) Foreign Bodies. Oceania and the Science of Race 1750-1940. ANU Press. 2008.
AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Correspondence:
Request for repatriation of human remains to Tasmania, 2005-2006
Plaster busts:
This is the plaster bust of Woureddy by Benjamin Law which Morton Allport assumes his addressee Dr Barnard Davis has a copy in the letter dated 8 August 1873. This copy of the cast is housed in the British Museum, together with Benjamin Law's plaster bust of Truganini. Copies of both busts are also held in the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Companion busts of Tasmanian Aborigines by Benjamin Law ,Hobart, 1835, held in the British Museum
Left: plaster bust of Woureddy
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2009-2025-2
Right: plaster bust of Truganini
Source: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?keyword=truganini
The British Museum also holds a photographic print of a skeleton of a male Tasmanian Aborigine which Morton Allport shipped to the Royal Anthropological Institute, London, in 1871:
Description
Photograph of a skeleton of a Tasmanian Aborigine, held upright by a metal mount, standing in a room with a curtain beside it.
Dimensions
Height: Height: 36 centimetres
Width: Width: 23.70 centimetres
Inscriptions
Inscription type: Inscription position: bottom right
Inscription content: Skeleton of Tasmanian man. No. 1761+
Inscription note: Handwritten in ink. Writing appears to be that of Joseph Barnard Davis.
Curator's comments
The inscription No. 1761+ refers to the work by J. Barnard Davis, Supplement to Thesaurus Craniorum London, 1875 which lists at p.63:
'15. 1761+ Tasmania...This perfect and truly grand specimen of a Tasmanian skeleton was presented by Mr Morton ALLPORT. The further measurements will be given in a Table at the end of the volume (Appendix B).
The skeletons of Tasmanian Aboriginal people were highly sought after in the nineteenth century and many acts of grave robbing were committed to acquire them. In 1871 Hobart solicitor Morton Allport shipped a complete skeleton of a Tasmanian Aborigine to London to the Royal Anthropological Institute. This was considered special as no European institution then possessed a complete Tasmanian skeleton. Plomley (1962:5) in his study of Tasmanian Aboriginal collections in Europe, published by the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery states that this skeleton was sold to the Natural History Museum in 1898. The RAI Council minute 14 June 1898 records it was sold to the NHM for £100 in 1898.
Plomley (1962:3) also states that Joseph Barnard Davis had a complete skeleton of a Tasmanian Aborigine and other material. The skeletal material was sold to the Royal College of Surgeons and this was largely destroyed in the war.
Source: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2017-2004-5
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- Lost and found: one day in 1866 and the scientific racism which followed
- Constable John Nevin at Trucanini's funeral 1876
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