The National Museum of Australia has published online both audio and transcripts of Aboriginal Artists of the Nineteenth Century: A Celebration, a symposium held recently to mark the 20^th anniversary of Andrew Sayers’ ground-breaking publication of 1994.

Amongst the speakers on that occasion was the Centre for Art History and Art Theory’s newly-appointed Associate Professor, David Hansen. Dr Hansen’s paper, entitled ‘Panga: a Paakantye draughtsman on the Paroo in the 1870s’ presented the work of a hitherto unknown nineteenth century Aboriginal artist; over 100 pencil drawings by this young man, depicting both station life and Indigenous subjects, were preserved in a scrapbook by Frederic Bonney of ‘Momba’ station.  Dr Hansen’s account of the album and its importance can be found on the National Museum of Australia website at National Museum of Australia Research and Museology.

Listen to the program Panga: a Paakantye draughtsman on the Paroo in the 1870s.

Image below: Frederic Bonney - Panga drawing c. 1880s, photograph from an album assembled by Frederic Bonney 1881, private collection