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Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand : Being an Artist's Impressions of Countries and People at the Antipodes
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Affiliation Notes
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19th-Century Australian Travel Writing
Renowned illustrator and naturalist George French Angas (1822-1886)—author of Ramble in Malta and Sicily in the Autumn of 1841 (1842), The New Zealanders Illustrated and South Australia Illustrated (both 1847)—presents a detailed and illustrated account in his travel narrative Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand. Prefacing the work by highlighting his enthusiasm for wandering on the “outskirts of civilization” among “savage tribes who have never seen a white man”, Angas describes his narrative as being written as a disinterested observer who is full of ardent admiration of the grandeur of nature in "her wildest aspect," and as an artist without pretensions to literary skill. Detailing the journey from England to South Australia, Angas describes his experiences of the colonies of South Australia and New South Wales and his observations of the Aboriginal inhabitants in these areas (whom he deems degraded, in particular the women), as well as his encounters with whalers. Angas also chronicles his journey to New Zealand and return to England via South America.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Privileges of Mobility: George French Angas's Representations of Indigenous People in Savage Life and Scenes and his Debt to 'Learned Friend' William Cawthorne.
2007
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Studies in Travel Writing , March vol. 11 no. 1 2007; (p. 15-35) One of the most influential travel books about colonial Australasia, Savage Life and Scenes, was written by George French Angas, a well-to-do traveller with all the privileges of mobility. Angas made good use of his wealthy father's contacts in two British colonies - South Australia and New Zealand - where he had direct access to the colonial experience of a number of settlers, many of whom had expert knowledge of indigenous people and information on an evolving history of contact and conflict. One of the sources for Angas's representations of indigenous Australians in South Australia was a battling colonial schoolteacher, William Anderson Cawthorne (1824-1897). Angas made use of Cawthorne's work and writings without full acknowledgement. Without access to the writing and experience of travelling companions and knowledgeable intermediaries like Cawthorne, Savage Life and Scenes could not have been written. The discovery of the collective colonial experience that underpins such an important text is a reminder that often travel books reflect rather more than the unique experiences of a solitary traveller, especially when the traveller in question is wealthy and well-connected. (Author abstract)
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The Privileges of Mobility: George French Angas's Representations of Indigenous People in Savage Life and Scenes and his Debt to 'Learned Friend' William Cawthorne.
2007
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Studies in Travel Writing , March vol. 11 no. 1 2007; (p. 15-35) One of the most influential travel books about colonial Australasia, Savage Life and Scenes, was written by George French Angas, a well-to-do traveller with all the privileges of mobility. Angas made good use of his wealthy father's contacts in two British colonies - South Australia and New Zealand - where he had direct access to the colonial experience of a number of settlers, many of whom had expert knowledge of indigenous people and information on an evolving history of contact and conflict. One of the sources for Angas's representations of indigenous Australians in South Australia was a battling colonial schoolteacher, William Anderson Cawthorne (1824-1897). Angas made use of Cawthorne's work and writings without full acknowledgement. Without access to the writing and experience of travelling companions and knowledgeable intermediaries like Cawthorne, Savage Life and Scenes could not have been written. The discovery of the collective colonial experience that underpins such an important text is a reminder that often travel books reflect rather more than the unique experiences of a solitary traveller, especially when the traveller in question is wealthy and well-connected. (Author abstract)
- South Australia,
- New South Wales,
