[Editor: This artwork was drawn by S. Leroy and engraved by Jacques Messidor Boisseau (1794-1848) and Mr. Forget; it was published in Paris in 1826. The artwork depicts a family of Aborigines walking past an Aboriginal camp.]
Nouvelle-Hollande; Port-Jackson. Famille de sauvages en voyage.
Source:
Nouvelle-Hollande; Port-Jackson: Faimille de sauvages en voyage [sic: Famille], State Library of Victoria [high quality image available]
See also:
Nouvelle-Hollande, Port Jackson, famille de sauvages en voyage [picture] / dessine par S. Leroy d’apres divers croquis; grave par Boisseau et Forget, National Library of Australia
Nouvelle-Hollande, Port Jackson, famille de sauvages en voyage [picture] / dess. par S. Leroy d’apres divers croquis ; grave par Boisseau et Forget, National Library of Australia
New Holland. Port Jackson, family of traveling savages: S. Leroy, Boisseau, and Forget 1824/1844, Google Arts and Culture
Editor’s notes:
The title of the artwork, “Nouvelle-Hollande; Port-Jackson. Famille de sauvages en voyage.”, translates as “New Holland; Port Jackson. Family of savages on a trip.”
Text at bottom-left of artwork: “Dess. par S. Leroy d’aprés divers croquis”
(“dess.” is an abbreviation of “dessine”)
Translation: “Drawn by S. Leroy after various sketches”
Text at bottom-right of artwork: “Gravé par Boisseau et Forget.”
Translation: “Engraved by Boisseau and Forget.”
Thank you again, Ed.
Just some slight emendations required in four places as far as I can discern. In the two bold headings, and under Source, and under Editor’s Notes: the original “famille” has gained an intrusive letter “i”, so that they are each reading as “faimille”.
I double-checked your original photgraph of the artwork, and see there the correct spelling of “famille”.
As a cheeky aside, playing on words: In French, “faim” means hunger or hungry; and “famille” means family; so perhaps “faimille” is intended to describe a hungry family? rofl.
Hi Raymond, thank you very much for that! Well-spotted.
As the State Library of Victoria’s entry was used as the source, the title of the artwork was copied from the SLV’s page, which includes the incorrect spelling “faimille” (i.e. “famille”) – it just goes to show that even the big institutions make mistakes. Nonetheless, I should have double-checked the information, to ensure that it was correct.
In this post, all instances of “faimille” have now been changed to “famille” (except for the SLV’s entry, which has been given a “sic” notation). The URL has also been changed to include the correction, and the images have been deleted and re-uploaded (as their file names had included the error). Wow, what a pain! But I’m glad you spotted the mistake. I doubt that anyone else would have (or not for some years, at least). Your blood’s worth bottling. So, thanks again! Ed.
P.S. Nice play on words with the French “faim” – “rofl” indeed.
Or as Bill Bailey once said, “ROFLYSST” (“rolling on the floor laughing yet somehow still typing”).
My family was recently on a tour of Victoria. We saw this old painting at the State Library. It was disappointing to see a painting with the title “family of savages” being displayed in 2024. Clearly a derogatory title, depicting the colonial view of First Nations peoples at the time it was painted. Unless this painting was displayed in the context of exposing and denouncing such colonial views, it is rather insensitive to display this as “art” showing aboriginal life. We’re not even a First Nations people descendants, and yet we found the title highly offensive.
The only people who would find the title of this painting to be “highly offensive” are those who are Woke. The Woke mob are always ready and willing to be “offended” at the drop of a hat.
The Stone Age aborigines of Australia were savages, just like the Stone Age tribes of Africa, Asia and Europe were savages – they all lived savage lifestyles and did savage things.
The title of the painting, “Family of savages on a trip”, is not “a derogatory title”, it is an accurate descriptive title. Anyone with a decent grasp of history would know that. People need to stop being “offended” at things that are not offensive. Sure, to be perpetually “offended” is a major part of Woke socio-political culture, but people need to get away from that twisted style of politics, and get back to common sense and normality.