£5,200
BRITISH SCHOOL, EARLY-19th CENTURY
The barque Lady Juliana, Capt. William Chapman, 1801
Oil on pine panel, mounted within a later painted supporting frame, measuring approx. 83cm x 69cm
The Lady Juliana is notable for being the first exclusively female transport to arrive in the newly established penal colony of Australia, on June 3rd 1790. Over the course of the 309-day voyage, the male crew customarily took "wives" from among the convicts, leading to the Juliana later being characterised as "nothing more than a floating brothel". This description may be somewhat misleading however, as it discounts the individuality and agency with which the female prisoners conducted their liaisons, and the apparently genuine romantic attachment recorded in the Steward John Nicol's personal account of the voyage. Among the passengers were a number of notable early Australian settlers, including Elizabeth Steel, the first recorded deaf Australian, and Mary Wade, who by the time of her death in 1859 was purported to be the matriarch of a family of over three-hundred, spanning five generations.
Note: possibly formerly the lid interior of a seaman's chest.
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
28.8% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
31.8% inc VAT*
