Jon Addison

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Address: Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

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Papers by Jon Addison

Guan Di and Tin Mountain: Chinese temples in Northeast Tasmania

The Newsletter - International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). No 71, Summer 2015, 2015

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) in Launceston, Tasmania, houses a surprising co... more

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John Watt Beattie and the presentation of convict history

Photographer, early environmentalist, collector and antiquarian John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) pla... more Photographer, early environmentalist, collector and antiquarian John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) played a crucial role in collecting and popularising Tasmania’s convict history. However, perversely, he was also complicit in the efforts of many in the colony to encourage people to forget or to erase this ‘hated stain’ from both official and unofficial records and memory. This chapter examines the probable motivations for Beattie&#39;s writing, collecting and research activities, and ponders the lasting impact of his writing and collecting. It also discusses the extent to which Beattie&#39;s work has influenced popular views of the convict experience in Van Diemen’s Land and its effect on later historiography. Beattie&#39;s work played on the emotions of viewers of his collections of objects and photographs, and this emotional response has become a key part of the way that, even today, people relate to ideas of convictism.

LOOKING TO THE HEAVENS: THE AUSTRALASIAN LEAGUE FLAG OF 1851

PROCEEDINGS of the 26th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS of VEXILLOLOGY , 2015

Held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is the only original example known to exist of ... more Held at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is the only original example known to exist of one of the most important flags in Australian history – The Australasian Anti-Transportation League Flag of 1851. The flag includes the first known use of the Southern Cross in its ‘natural’ formation (as in the night sky). It represented the ‘Australasian League for the Prevention of Transportation’, one of Australia’s first local movements arguing for a change in British policy, and possibly influenced later colonial flags that in turn led to the design of Australia’s current national flag.

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Worth keeping?: Approaches to the collection, preservation and interpretation of industrial heritage

There are many possible approaches to the collection, preservation and interpretation of industri... more There are many possible approaches to the collection, preservation and interpretation of industrial heritage. None of these is necessarily superior to any other, but what approach or combination of approaches is used in any specific situation should be the result of a structured and well thought out process of assessment. Each possible approach has positive and negative factors, and these should be considered before making any final decision about how much of this heritage is collected or retained, how it is preserved or conserved, and the method of interpretation. This paper draws on the author's experiences in a number of museums and heritage environments, each dealing with different aspects of industrial heritage, in order to examine a number of different possible approaches to this heritage and suggest a common approach for all practitioners.

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'...Oh my soul sings!' John Watt Beattie and the perception of Tasmanian identity

Scots under the Southern Cross, Edited by Fred Chair, SAnne Beggs Sunter & Alison Inglis

John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. After moving to Van Diemen's Land ... more John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. After moving to Van Diemen's Land in 1878 he became prominent as a photographer, antiquarian and tourism promoter. Beattie, like many Scots who emigrated as free settlers to what is now Tasmania, developed a great love for his new home. He tirelessly sought to promote it, collect and record its history, and to argue for the protection of areas of outstanding natural beauty. The dramatic landscapes and troubled history of the island appear to have struck a chord with the romantic Beattie. Both the style of his photography, fitting well within the language of the sublime, and his willingness to engage with (and indeed to focus on) aspects of Tasmania's less savoury past mark him out as a man simultaneously of, and ahead of his time.

However there are many contradictions in Beattie's work. This paper seeks to investigate Beattie the man, and explore how his influence has served to colour the way locals and visitors regard Tasmania even today.

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Books by Jon Addison

John Watt Beattie and the presentation of convict history

Historicising Heritage and Emotions: The Affective Histories of Blood, Stone and Land, edited by Alicia Marchant, Routledge 2019, pp148-167, 2019

Photographer, early environmentalist, collector and antiquarian John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) pla... more Photographer, early environmentalist, collector and antiquarian John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) played a crucial role in collecting and popularising Tasmania’s convict history. However, perversely, he was also complicit in the efforts of many in the colony to encourage people to forget or to erase this ‘hated stain’ from both official and unofficial records and memory. This chapter examines the probable motivations for Beattie's writing, collecting and research activities, and ponders the lasting impact of his writing and collecting. It also discusses the extent to which Beattie's work has influenced popular views of the convict experience in Van Diemen’s Land and its effect on later historiography. Beattie's work played on the emotions of viewers of his collections of objects and photographs, and this emotional response has become a key part of the way that, even today, people relate to ideas of convictism.

Guan Di and Tin Mountain: Chinese temples in Northeast Tasmania

The Newsletter - International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS). No 71, Summer 2015, 2015

The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) in Launceston, Tasmania, houses a surprising co... more

Download

John Watt Beattie and the presentation of convict history

LOOKING TO THE HEAVENS: THE AUSTRALASIAN LEAGUE FLAG OF 1851

PROCEEDINGS of the 26th INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS of VEXILLOLOGY , 2015

Download

Worth keeping?: Approaches to the collection, preservation and interpretation of industrial heritage

Download

'...Oh my soul sings!' John Watt Beattie and the perception of Tasmanian identity

Scots under the Southern Cross, Edited by Fred Chair, SAnne Beggs Sunter & Alison Inglis

Download

John Watt Beattie and the presentation of convict history

Historicising Heritage and Emotions: The Affective Histories of Blood, Stone and Land, edited by Alicia Marchant, Routledge 2019, pp148-167, 2019

Photographer, early environmentalist, collector and antiquarian John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) pla... more Photographer, early environmentalist, collector and antiquarian John Watt Beattie (1859–1930) played a crucial role in collecting and popularising Tasmania’s convict history. However, perversely, he was also complicit in the efforts of many in the colony to encourage people to forget or to erase this ‘hated stain’ from both official and unofficial records and memory. This chapter examines the probable motivations for Beattie's writing, collecting and research activities, and ponders the lasting impact of his writing and collecting. It also discusses the extent to which Beattie's work has influenced popular views of the convict experience in Van Diemen’s Land and its effect on later historiography. Beattie's work played on the emotions of viewers of his collections of objects and photographs, and this emotional response has become a key part of the way that, even today, people relate to ideas of convictism.

Jon Addison

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