Kate C

Four characters from the new production of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab that will screen on ABC on 28 October. Left to right: Charlie Cousins as Roger Moreland, Oliver Ackland as Brian Fitzgerald, Marco Chiappi as Duncan Carlton and Felix Williamson as Detective Kilsip.
Image: Stills photography by Bill Bachman and Arsineh Houspian
Source: Burberry Entertainment / ABC  

"Whereas, on Friday, the 27th day of July, the body of a man, name unknown, was found in a hansom cab. AND WHEREAS, at an inquest held at St. Kilda, on the 30th day of July, a verdict of wilful murder, against some person unknown, was brought in by the jury. The deceased is of medium height, with a dark complexion, dark hair, clean shaved, has a mole on the left temple, and was dressed in evening dress. Notice is hereby given that a reward of 100 pounds will be paid by the Government for such information as will lead to the conviction of the murderer, who is presumed to be a man who entered the hansom cab with the deceased at the corner of Collins and Russell Streets, on the morning of the 27th day of July."

So begins Chapter III of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, a very early detective novel set in Melbourne. Written by English-born and NZ-raised Fergus Hume, this 1886 tale of mystery and murder in the young colonial city became an unexpected international smash. On Sunday 28 October at 8:30 PM, a telemovie based on the novel will screen on ABC TV.

A scene from the new telemovie of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. Left to right: Marco Chiappi as Duncan Carlton, Jessica De Gouw as Madge Frettlby and Felix Williamson as Detective Kilsip
Image: Stills photography by Bill Bachman and Arsineh Houspian
Source: Burberry Entertainment / ABC  

Filmed on location around the city, and steered carefully by the production designer Otello Stolfo, 1880s 'Marvellous Melbourne' has been meticulously recreated by a talented team of researchers, builders and other craftspeople. The props and the costumes were made and sourced with a keen eye to authentic period detail. The cream of the Australian acting community, including John Waters, Marco Chiappi, Shane Jacobson, Jessica De Gouw, Oliver Ackland, Chelsie Preston, Felix Williamson and Helen Morse, bring the story to life, through the faithful script adaptation by Glen Dolman, directed by Shawn Seet, produced by Margot McDonald and executive producer Ewan Burnett. The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was developed and produced with the assistance of Film Victoria.

Costumes, jewellery, costume drawings and other documentation from this telemovie have just been acquired by the museum from the production company, Burberry Entertainment. Curator Michael Reason explains the significance of the costumes: "This acquisition represents television production in Melbourne, particularly how the city’s history has been presented, and it's also a way for us to record literary Melbourne. The costumes were all locally made so they represent bespoke tailoring in the city and even the Phillips Shirts factory which has operated for 60 years. It is an honour to preserve these wonderful costumes, created by costume designer Wendy Cork and costume supervisor Christiana Plitzo, as very few items of Australian film and television wardrobe have survived, particularly in museums." 

Costumes acquired by Museum Victoria from the production of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. Left: Jessica De Gouw as Madge Frettlby. Right: Chelsie Preston Crayford as Sal Rawlins.
Source: Burberry Entertainment / ABC

Costumes acquired by Museum Victoria from the production of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. Left: Felix Williamson as Detective Kilsip. Right:Shane Jacobson as Samuel Gorby.
Source: Burberry Entertainment / ABC  

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab predates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, who first appeared in print in 1887. Part of its appeal in the US and UK was its location in a faraway and mysterious location: a developing Melbourne that was only five decades old. "The book was true to the city and includes places like the Melbourne Club, St Kilda and Little Bourke St," says Michael. "It's an intriguing story of people reinventing themselves by coming to Melbourne and leaving behind their past." The characters of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab cover the class spectrum of Melbourne colonial society, from the well-to-do to residents of the young city's notorious slums.

Hansom cab made by Simmons & Sons, South Yarra, 1880s. Hansom cabs were horse-drawn vehicles for hire, like a Victorian-era taxi. They were fast, light and agile. The driver sat at the rear and could control the doors to prevent passengers from fleeing without paying their fare. (ST 029057)
Source: Museum Victoria  

As for its author Hume, sadly he never achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a playwright. Having sold the rights to The Mystery of a Hansom Cab for 50 pounds, he never profited from its phenomenal success, and his subsequent 100+ novels and short stories were never particularly popular and he died in relative obscurity in England in 1932.

Links:

Burberry Entertainment

Costumes on Collections Online

Scan of rare first edition of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (McLaren Collection, University of Melbourne)

Radio National Book Club episode discussing the book

Bark paintings present particular conservation challenges for museums and over many years, conservators have developed low-impact techniques to stabilise objects at risk of deterioration. However these objects often have deep cultural and spiritual significance to the people who created them, and any alteration to an object – including conservation treatments – may forever affect its meaning.

This issue has fascinated MV conservator Samantha Hamilton since her Mellon fellowship at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in 2005. For around two decades, NMAI conservators have worked closely with communities to better understand the cultural implications of preservation. "Involving traditional owners provides meaningful insights into the creation and appearance of cultural materials," says Sam. "This allows conservators to make clearer ethical treatment decisions."

Two significant bark paintings in the Donald Thomson Collection needed considerable conservation treatment, which meant they were not included in the travelling exhibition Ancestral Power and the Aesthetic. Given the long-standing relationship between senior curator Lindy Allen and the Arnhem Land communities from which anthropologist Donald Thomson collected the paintings, here was an opportunity to work closely with the cultural owners of the works. Sam and Lindy began consulting with direct relatives of the original artists last year and visited Milingimbi Island to discuss these particular conservation issues. This consultation project has received funding from the University of Melbourne and the Copland Foundation.

Artist George Milaybuma Gaykamangu and his brother Dr Joseph Neparrnga Gumbula holding a small bark painting made to show traditional painting techniques.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria  

During the first week of October, Gupapuyngu Elder and Indigenous scholar, Dr Joseph Neparrnga Gumbula and his brother, artist George Milaybuma Gaykamangu (Milay), came to Melbourne to exchange knowledge about how the paintings were made and how they should be preserved. In return Sam demonstrated various ways to consolidate paint and stabilise bark so that Joe and Milay could decide on appropriate treatments. Says Sam, "the concept of preservation or conservation treatment is quite foreign to the Gupapuyngu because theirs is a living culture and they're actively painting these designs. Joe has said, 'if this was back at home, we'd just bury it and make another one.'"

Conservator Samantha Hamilton demonstrating a conservation technique on some samples of bark.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria  

Sam had many questions for Joe and Milay. "There is a layer of meaning in each brushstroke, so if we directly apply adhesive to consolidate the paint, are we altering its cultural meaning? Is it better to document the painting with detailed photographs and leave it untouched? Also, these designs are body patterns worn only by men, so should female conservators be treating them?"

During the visit, Milay demonstrated the traditional techniques used by the original creators of the paintings. He ground and mixed charcoal, white clay and two types of ochre with water to prepare the paint. He also fashioned paintbrushes from grass stems and showed Sam and Lindy how djalkurrk (orchid stem) was used to bind only the background paint layer to the bark. Sam was particularly fascinated to learn this, as it was common understanding that the binder was used with every paint layer.

Milay's painting kit: lumps of ochre and charcoal, grass stem paintbrushes and orchid, all brought to Melbourne from Arnhem Land.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria

Milay demonstrating how orchid stem is used to apply a background layer of rich red ochre to the bark slab.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria  

After seeing Sam's demonstrations, Joe and Milay advised that a technique called misting would be acceptable to the Gupapuyngu community and that no direct application of adhesive should be performed with a paintbrush. They also approved conservation's technique of stabilising split bark and agreed that Sam was the right person to perform the treatment.

Sam hopes that this project will have lasting impact. "MV conservators have consulted with community in the past and it's becoming more common around the world. Where possible, I'd like to see it continue as an ongoing practice especially with our Victorian Indigenous objects and the Koorie community." During the Bunjilaka redevelopment project Sam has been consulting with the Yulendj reference group, and is very excited about collaborating with Yorta Yorta Elders to determine a long term preservation plan for the historic possum skin cloak.

Links:

Ancestral Power and the Aesthetic is at the Albury Art Gallery until 18 November 2012. 

MV Blog: Ancestral Power opens in Benalla

MV News: Ancestral Power and the Aesthetic

NMAI Conservation Outreach

Throughout the 17 April 1993 St Kilda vs Collingwood match at Victoria Park, Collingwood supporters hurled racist taunts at two Aboriginal St Kilda players. At the end of the game, with St Kilda victorious, midfielder Nicky Winmar lifted his guernsey and pointed proudly at his skin. 

Nicky Winmar's 1993 AFL season jumper, which he was wearing when he made his famous stand against racism in sport.
Image: Rodney Start
Source: Museum Victoria  

Photographs of this spontaneous gesture became a powerful symbol of Aboriginal pride and a statement about the problem of racism in sport. Historian Joy Damousi was in the audience at the match and reflected upon that moment on a May episode of ABC Radio National's 'Life Matters'.

This particular moment is really one of the most significant events in Australian cultural history...A simple material object that can encapsulate an era, a mood, a period, a turning point and Nicky Winmar's jumper does that beautifully...

Museum Victoria held a celebratory event at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum this morning to announce our acquisition of Winmar's jumper. The year after the famous gesture, Winmar traded the jumper with his friend Tim O'Brien, a former basketballer for the NBL. O'Brien put the jumper up for sale in May this year with the proceeds planned to fund a documentary film about racism in sport. MV purchased it for display in Bunjilaka's forthcoming First Peoples exhibition, using funds reserved for acquiring important objects for the museum's collections.

After reflecting on Nicky's brave action on that momentous day in 1993, Bunjilaka Manager Caroline Martin, Museum Victoria CEO Dr Patrick Greene and Tim O'Brien unveiled the jumper together at the event this morning, much to the excitement of those gathered around.

L-R: Dr Patrick Greene, Tim O'Brien and Caroline Martin with Nicky Winmar's jumper this morning.
Image: Rodney Start
Source: Museum Victoria  

"This jumper represents a proud moment in history for Australia's First Peoples," said Caroline Martin. "It symbolises pride and strength in our culture and we are delighted that future visitors to Bunjilaka will be able to commemorate the inspirational story behind this jumper, as we did today." 

Links:

'The day the game changed' by Nabila Ahmed, The Age, 19 April 2003

UK comedian, musician and birdwatcher Bill Bailey is in Melbourne this week as part of his Qualmpeddler tour of Australia and New Zealand. Yesterday he, and fellow comedian and ornithology buff Jeff Green, visited collection stores and exhibitions at Melbourne Museum.

Bill Bailey and Jeff Green in the Ornithology collection store at Melbourne Museum.
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria  

It’s all thanks to a timely radio broadcast: PhD student Darren Hastie heard an interview in which Bill talked about being a fan of Alfred Russel Wallace, co-originator (with Charles Darwin) of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Learning this, collection manager Rolf Schmidt sent a message to Bill via his website to tell him that Museum Victoria holds a number of specimens collected by AR Wallace, and to invite him to come and see them.

Bill is not just a fan of Wallace; he is the patron of the Wallace Fund which works to give the great naturalist due credit for his contributions to our understanding of evolution. Bill has spent five years researching Wallace’s life and work, which will culminate in a BBC documentary in 2013. Next year marks a century since Wallace’s death and, if all goes to plan, will also see a portrait and statue of Wallace erected in the Natural History Museum in London to equal its famous marble statue of Darwin.

Bill Bailey opening the cabinet filled with bird specimens collected by AR Wallace, saying, “This is why I love museums. You think, what’s in here? Then OH MY GOD…”
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria  

Having recently returned from filming the Wallace documentary in Indonesia, Bill swapped tales with ornithologist and collection manager Wayne Longmore about the bizarre fauna found in Sulawesi, Indonesia, due to what is now called the Wallace Line. To the west of the line, Asiatic species predominate, while to the east, Australian lineages appear. Sulawesi is right in the thick of it and its animals are an amazing assortment of both origins. For eight years, Wallace travelled through Malaysia and Indonesia collecting birds, insects and more, and it was his astute observations of the patterns of species distribution that spawned the science of biogeography, and helped him develop his theory of evolution.

Poor Wallace, however, has been obscured by time and the greater profile of Darwin. Said Bill, “Wallace was an extraordinary field naturalist, probably one of the greatest. And he hasn’t got the recognition he deserves. He needs to be mentioned in the same breath as Darwin, or at very least get equal billing.” Darwin had been working on his theory of natural selection for many years but it wasn’t until 1858, when Wallace sent him his own fully-articulated theory, that Darwin was prompted to stop thinking and get down to the business of publishing. The two presented their theory together at a meeting of the Linnaean Society. As Bill said, “at the time it known as the Darwin-Wallace theory, but when it was revived in the 30s, Wallace’s name was gone.” Jeff in turn suggested that the Australian city of Darwin switch its name to Darwin-Wallace for 2013 for the centenary.

After viewing the Wallace specimens in the ornithology store, Bill and Jeff visited the Science and Life Gallery where the Darwin to DNA exhibition has Wallace-collected skins and mounts on display, complete with his original hand-written tags. Next Rolf took them to down to the palaeontology collections and labs. Rolf reports, “Bill was quite interested in the size and scope of our collection, as well as the stories around the objects (like the Janjucetus skull). He was also rather excited when I let him have a hold of our Darwin barnacle holotype.”

L-R: Darren Hastie (PhD student and fellow AR Wallace fan), Rolf Schmidt, Jeff Green (kneeling), Bill Bailey and Dave Pickering amid the Palaeontology collection.
Source: Museum Victoria  

Bill’s fascination with Wallace is infectious - and he certainly loves museums. He says he always tries to visit the natural history museums of the cities where he performs. We’re very glad he dropped in to visit us, and will watch with interest as the Wallace100 plans unfold.

Links:

The Wallace Fund

Stories from the filming of the Wallace documentary on the Wallace100 blog (via Natural History Museum)

MV Blog: Wonderful Wallacea

MV Blog: Happy birthday A.R. Wallace

173 years ago today, on 11 September 1839, a reed necklace held in the MV Collection was collected in the Melbourne area by George Augustus Robinson. The necklace is one of five he collected during his tenure as Chief Protector of Aborigines for Port Phillip (1839-1849).

Reed necklace collected by GA Robinson in 1839. It is made from 162 hollow reed segments strung on vegetable string. (X84452)
Image: Photograph: Jon Augier
Source: Museum Victoria  

The necklace belonged to a man from Port Phillip whose name was recorded as Po.un.deet (elsewhere spelled Wo.un.deek or Porrundeet). In his later journals, Robinson recorded the name for the reed necklace as teer.er.rer.gone.burt, and observed the local custom of presenting necklaces as a greeting to friends. In an entry from 6 June 1841 he described what happened when a family visited his station:

Mar.ke, the native woman at Tulloh's [property], after some mutual exploration appeared highly pleased at meeting with my native attendants. She recognized an old acquaintance and, without ceremony, took the kangaroo teeth ornaments that adorned his hair and reed necklace that adorned his neck and decorated her child therewith. This I observed to be the custom of the natives when meeting with friends.

The wonderful story of Porrundeet's teer.er.rer.gone.burt will feature in the Many Nations section of the new First Peoples exhibition at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Links:

GA Robinson, Protector of Aborigines (State Library of NSW)

Bunjilaka Redevelopment Project

Legendary crime writer Dame Agatha Christie may have sold more novels than any other writer, but did you know she was also a pioneer in object conservation? Working in Iraq alongside her archaeologist husband Sir Max Mallowan, Christie used improvised tools and cold cream originally intended for her own face to clean thousands of excavated fragments known as the Nimrud Ivories.

Lid of a 19th century ceramic cold cream container excavated from Little Lon, Melbourne and part of MV's Little Lon Collection.
Source: Museum Victoria

Cold cream is a mixture (or emulsion) of water in oil used to clean and soften the skin. Its name originates from the cold feeling left when the water component draws evaporates from the skin. But why was it useful for ivory? And is it still used for that purpose today? Senior Conservator Helen Privett helps to preserve objects in Museum Victoria's collection and she was happy to talk about contemporary tricks of the trade.

'We wouldn't use cold cream, but we use moisturising agents like it, such as polyethylene glycol which you find in modern cosmetics," says Helen. "The reason why you might use something like that is that you don't want to get ivory too wet, because it absorbs water and then expands to different degrees in different directions... a kind of multidimensional swelling which can cause cracking and distortion."

"We've got data loggers in the Mesopotamia showcases to monitor the environmental conditions. The showcases containing ivories are all set to about 55 per cent relative humidity to make sure they don't get too wet or too dry."

Approaches to artefact conservation have changed profoundly since Agatha Christie's time, and not just in terms of technological advances. There have been philosophical changes too: now the focus is on the long-term stability of the objects, which sometimes means a hands-off approach. Importantly, conservators don't necessarily clean artefacts any more.

"One issue in archaeological conservation is that you're removing objects from where they've sat for thousands of years," explains Helen. "Sometimes they're actually quite stable in that environment, and it's better to leave something buried than to bring it out of the ground." In the case of shipwrecks and certain archaeological sites, reburial of artefacts is becoming an accepted technique for preservation.

When cleaning or other treatment is required, conservators turn to a variety of materials. Many are chemicals that you might have in your own home, such as methyl cellulose (found in toothpastes, artificial tears and moisturisers) which is a useful adhesive and a poultice base, and citric acid (found in soft drinks) which is a gentle way to remove corrosion.

Senior Conservator Helen Privett holding a giant bucket of citric acid in the MV Conservation Lab.
Source: Museum Victoria  

Helen describes the global community of conservators as open and willing to exchange information about new conservation techniques and materials through articles and online forums. "There are some adhesives, for example, that are made specifically for the conservation industry but because it's such a small field we tend to use materials from other industries. We do a lot of testing ourselves, particularly for new environmentally sustainable display materials."

Becoming a conservator usually requires a sound background in art history combined with broad training in materials science and applied chemistry. Then there's the tricky decision about which sub-specialty to enter; conservators can specialise in particular fields such as paintings, paper, or objects. For Helen, it was a single moment that led her to object conservation – seeing the Portland Vase in the British Museum. "It's very deep, intense translucent blue glass with a carved white relief. They've never been able to replicate how it was made. This amazing object was smashed into hundreds of pieces and has been put back together numerous times, so it's got this extraordinary history of manufacture, collection and conservation. It's my inspiration."

The Portland Vase, perhaps from Rome, Italy, about AD 5-25.
Source: © Trustees of the British Museum

Not every object is as monumental as the Portland Vase, and Museum Victoria's collection encompasses many types of materials, including a few that are notoriously difficult to conserve. When asked about her least favourite material, Helen doesn't mince words. "I love plastics, but I hate PVC. It's got what we call 'inherent vice' – it will deteriorate under any circumstances and was never meant to last. Because of the chlorides in the polymer, when it starts to deteriorate it forms hydrochloric acid and basically eats itself to death. PVC objects start to get sticky or tacky, or stuck in a certain shape and they're just a nightmare."

Further reading:

The Art of the Conservator (1992). Andrew Eddy (editor), British Museum Press, London.

Ladies of the Field: Early Women Archaeologists and Their Search for Adventure (2010). Amanda Adams, Greystone Books, Canada.

Links:

Murder in Mesopotamia: Agatha Christie and Archaeology forum at Melbourne Museum on Sunday 9 September

'British Museum buys 3,000-year-old ivory carvings Agatha Christie cleaned with her face cream' (Daily Mail, 8 March 2011)

Australian Historic Shipwreck Preservation Project

Conservation OnLine