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William Blandowski

December 13, 2023

Johann Wilhelm Theodor Ludwig von Blandowski, known as William Blandowski (21 January 1822 – 18 December 1878), was a German explorer, soldier, zoologist and mining engineer of Polish roots, he is most famous for his exploration of the Murray and Darling Rivers in Australia.

Photo of William Blandowski

Early life edit

Blandowski was born in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia (now Gliwice, Poland) on 21 January 1822. The youngest of thirteen children his parents, Johann Felix von Blandowski and Leopoldine Gottliebe von Woyrsch were Protestants, and members of the minor Polish aristocracy, using the Wieniawa coat-of-arms. He was educated at the Gymnasium in Lauban but left without gaining his Abitur certificate. He went on to study at the Tarnowitz Mining School and the University of Berlin. Blandowski's education was impacted by the death of his father, financial hardships, and controversies which resulted in quiet expulsions from various institutes.

After completing his education, he was employed as an assistant manager at the Koenigsgrube coal mine at Koenigshütte. A tempestuous character, he became swept up in the revolutions of 1848, and wrote a letter to his employer about his revolutionary sentiments. Resigning before he was dismissed, he then joined the Schleswig-Holstein Army in March 1848 and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. After completing his army service he tried unsuccessfully to obtain another appointment in the Prussian Mining Service, but was turned down. These setbacks were one of the motivations for him to emigrate to Australia in 1849.[1]

Exploration edit

Blandowski was one of a number of influential German-speaking residents — such as Ludwig Becker, Hermann Beckler, Amalie Dietrich, Wilhelm Haacke, Diedrich Henne, Gerard Krefft, Johann Luehmann, Johann Menge, Carl Mücke (a.k.a. Muecke), Carl Mücke (a.k.a. Muecke), Ludwig Preiss, Carl Ludwig Christian Rümker (a.k.a. Ruemker), Moritz Richard Schomburgk, Richard Wolfgang Semon, Karl Theodor Staiger, George Ulrich, Eugene von Guérard, Robert von Lendenfeld, Ferdinand von Mueller, Georg von Neumayer, and Carl Wilhelmi — who brought their "epistemic traditions" to Australia, and not only became "deeply entangled with the Australian colonial project", but also were "intricately involved in imagining, knowing and shaping colonial Australia" (Barrett, et al., 2018, p.2).[2]

He arrived in Adelaide on 14 September 1849. There are reports his passage was paid by a patron, Karl Bernhardt Maximilian Wiebel (Wibel) (1808 – 1888) a founding member of the Zoological Museum in Hamburg.[1] He began exploring the area around Adelaide, and his sketches from this period include geological scenes, fossils, animals, the Aborigines and their artefacts. Some are crudely executed on the spot, while others have been refined for further circulation. He sent back specimens and sketches to Hamburg.

Blandowski was ambitious, and made unsuccessful applications to the government, and influential colonists, to fund his explorations and surveys. These entreaties were not successful, and he left South Australia for the goldfields of Victoria in 1851. He made a fortune on the goldfields, and he invented a double-action force pump to prevent mines being flooded. This success increased his profile and gained him the longed-for entrée into the upper echelons of society.

He was the first scientist appointed by Governor La Trobe to the new Victorian Museum on 1 April 1854, and had responsibility for early purchases of objects, specimens and books for the museum.[3] He later became a member of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria, a forerunner of the Royal Society of Victoria. He was also a founder of the Geological Society of Victoria in 1852.[4] In 1856, the Philosophical Institute, with £2000 in government backing, initiated a scientific expedition (the Blandowski Expedition) to the Murray River, led by Blandowski, with Gerard Kreftt as second in command. The expedition travelled from Melbourne to Mildura Station between 6 December 1856 and 8 April 1857. A camp was located at Mondellimin (near modern Merbein) on the southern side of the Murray and, except for some side journeys made by Blandowski, the expedition stayed there for eight months. The Nyeri Nyeri people camped with the expedition and supplied most of the natural history specimens.[5] Blandowski left the expedition early, returning to Melbourne via riverboat and steamer at the beginning of August. Krefft returned to Melbourne at the end of November 1857.[6]

Controversy edit

Throughout his life his ego and lack of interpersonal skills resulted in great disappointments, and public scandals. Blandowski decided to name some fish species documented on this expedition after members of the Philosophical Institute's council.[7] However, a controversy ensued when two prominent council members felt insulted by his descriptions of the fish named for them:

  • "Sample N. Slimy, slippery fish. Lives in the mud. Is of a violent bluish colour on the belly. The whole upper surface is of a dirty olivish-green colour, with numerous irregular dark patches."[8]
  • "Sample B. A fish easily recognized by its low forehead, big belly and sharp spine."[8]

It is not known if Blandowski's insult was intentional, but it certainly led to substantial acrimony in the council. Blandowski refused to withdraw the descriptions or the paper in which they appeared, and was quickly censured by the council. The insulted parties attempted to have him expelled from the institute, but eventually withdrew themselves when they could not obtain the required two-thirds majority of votes.[8]

Blandowski remained active in the Philosophical Institute for the next three years, participating in the Exploration Committee that organised the Burke and Wills expedition. He felt strongly that Victorians should be actively involved in exploring Australia. Blandowski returned to Europe in 1859 and complained of his treatment in Australia.

Legacy edit

In his account of the expedition, Blandowski states that he brought back to Melbourne 28 boxes and parcels, of about 16,000 specimens, registered under 2000 different number and travelled about 1300 miles. During this expedition, Blandowski made efforts to document the everyday activities of Indigenous people, as well as dramatic conflicts and rituals, he also developed close relationships with Aborigines and was sympathetic to their situation.[9]

In the early 21st century revived interest in Blandowski's explorations has generated discussion on the provenance of the sketches and illustrations attributed to him.[10][11][12][13] His early sketches drawn while he was in South Australia, reveal he had little skill as an artist. During the Blandowski Expedition, Krefft was employed as an artist and made hundreds of drawings of the specimens gathered and the environment and people they encountered, these drawings are highly nuanced and capture in fine detail the images he is recording.

 
[Corroboree on the Murray River] / by Gerard Krefft, 1857

When he was back in Melbourne, Blandowski employed James Redaway[14] to create engravings of some of the drawings, and in Germany Gustav Mützel also created illustrations and etchings. In 1862 he published Australia in Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen,[15] a pamphlet illustrated by Gustav Mützel about his experiences in Australia, with different sections dealing with Indigenous culture, economy, activities, initiation ceremonies, combat, sickness and death. In this work Blandowski does not attribute the drawings to Krefft, and this has created some of the confusion about attribution of the works. What is known is that in many cases the final works were either taken from photographs, turned into etchings and then photographed again, or were originally sketches that became etchings. In all cases the works were enhanced using the artistic conventions of the time.

He is commemorated in a genus of marine fish (Blandowskius), and of the Murray River perches (Blandowskiella).[4]

Death edit

He was committed to the Provincial Mental Asylum in Bunzlau (now Bolesławiec) in 1873. He died there, of an "obstruction of the bowels", on 18 December 1878.[16]

Published works edit

Blandowski, William (1822), Australien in 142 photographischen, Verlag, 1862. available online

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b Darragh, Thomas Alwynne (2009), William Blandowski : a frustrated life, retrieved 28 April 2018
  2. ^ In relation to "Australasia", another German-speaking explorer and geologist, Julius von Haast (1822-1887), was appointed as the inaugural Curator/Director of the Canterbury Museum, in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1867.
  3. ^ Stephens, Matthew Sean (2013). The Australian Museum Library: its formation, function and scientific contribution, 1836-1917 (Thesis). University of New South Wales, School of Humanities.
  4. ^ a b "Blandowski, William (1822-1878)", Trove, 2009
  5. ^ Allen, Harry (2009), Native companions : Blandowski, Krefft and the Aboriginies on the Murray River expedition, Royal Society of Victoria, retrieved 28 April 2018
  6. ^ Blandowski, William; Allen, Harry, 1944- (2010), Australia : William Blandowski's illustrated encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia, Aboriginal Studies Press, ISBN 978-0-85575-713-7{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ An Explanation: By a Distinguished Foreigner, and Member of the Philosophical Institute, Melbourne Punch, (Thursday, 1 April 1858), p.81.
  8. ^ a b c Science and the making of Victoria – Philosophical Institute of Victoria, p. 21–22. Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and The Royal Society of Victoria. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  9. ^ Blandowski, William; Philosophical Society of Victoria (1855), Personal observations in Victoria, Goodhugh & Trembath, retrieved 28 April 2018
  10. ^ Allen, Harry (2012), Introduction : looking again at William Blandowski, retrieved 28 April 2018
  11. ^ William Blandowski and his contribution to nineteenth century science and art in Australia, 2009, retrieved 28 April 2018
  12. ^ Heckenberg, Kerry (1 January 2014), Retrieving an archive: Brook Andrew and William Blandowski's Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen, University of Birmingham, retrieved 28 April 2018
  13. ^ Allen, Harry (2006), "Authorship and ownership in Blandowski's Australien in 142 photographischen Abbildungen [(1862). Paper in: Volume of Papers in Honour of Judy Birmingham. Paterson, Alistair and Casey, Mary (eds).]", Australasian Historical Archaeology, 24 (2006): 31–37, ISSN 1322-9214
  14. ^ "James Redaway :: biography at :: at Design and Art Australia Online". www.daao.org.au.
  15. ^ "Digitalisierte Sammlungen der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin".
  16. ^ Darragh (2012), p.234.

References edit

  • Allen, H. (2006), "Authorship and ownership in Blandowski's Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen", Australasian Historical Archaeology, Vol.24, pp.31-37. JSTOR 29544554
  • Allen, H. (2009a), "Introduction: Looking again at William Blandowski", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.121, No.1 (September 2009), pp.1-10.
  • Allen, H. (2009b), "Native Companions: Blandowski, Krefft and the Aborigines on the Murray River Expedition". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.121, No.1, (September 2009), pp.129-145.
  • Barrett, L., Eckstein, L., Hurley, A.W. & Schwarz A. (2018), "Remembering German-Australian Colonial Entanglement: An Introduction", Postcolonial Studies, Vol.21, No.1, (January 2018), pp.1-5. doi:10.1080/13688790.2018.1443671
  • Darragh, Thomas A. (2009), "William Blandowski: A Frustrated Life", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.121, No. 1, (September 2009), pp.11-60.
  • Darragh, Thomas A. (2012), "The Death of William Blandowski", Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.124, pp.234-235.
  • Humphries P. (2003), “Blandowski Misses Out: Ichthyological Etiquette in 19th-century Australia", Endeavour, Vol.27, No.4, (December 2003), pp.160-165. doi:10.1016/j.endeavour.2003.08.006
  • Kean, J. (2009), "Observing Mondellimin, or when Gerard Krefft "saved once more the honour of the exploring expedition"", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.121, No.1, (September 2009), pp.109-128.
  • Menkhorst, Peter W. (2009), "Blandowski’s Mammals: Clues to a Lost World", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.121, No.1, (September 2009), pp.61-89.
  • Nancarrow, Jenny (2009), "Gerard Krefft: A Singular Man", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol.121, No.1, (September 2009), pp.146–154.
  • Paszkowski, L. (1967), "William Blandowski—The First Government Zoologist of Victoria", The Australian Zoologist, Vol.14, No.2, (2 August 1967), pp.147-172.
  • Paszkowski, L. (1969), "Blandowski, William (1822–1878)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Volume 3: 1851-1890: A-C, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
  • Wilkinson, I. (1996), "The Battle for the Museum: Frederick McCoy and the Establishment of the National Museum of Victoria at the University of Melbourne", Historical Records of Australian Science, Vol.1, No.1, (January 1996), pp. 1–11. doi:10.1071/HR9961110001

External links edit

  •   Media related to William Blandowski at Wikimedia Commons
  • An Australian chronicle revisited
  • In 2007 a monument was erected to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the expedition

December 13, 2023
william, blandowski, johann, wilhelm, theodor, ludwig, blandowski, known, january, 1822, december, 1878, german, explorer, soldier, zoologist, mining, engineer, polish, roots, most, famous, exploration, murray, darling, rivers, australia, photo, contents, earl. Johann Wilhelm Theodor Ludwig von Blandowski known as William Blandowski 21 January 1822 18 December 1878 was a German explorer soldier zoologist and mining engineer of Polish roots he is most famous for his exploration of the Murray and Darling Rivers in Australia Photo of William BlandowskiContents 1 Early life 2 Exploration 3 Controversy 4 Legacy 5 Death 6 Published works 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksEarly life editBlandowski was born in Gleiwitz Upper Silesia Kingdom of Prussia now Gliwice Poland on 21 January 1822 The youngest of thirteen children his parents Johann Felix von Blandowski and Leopoldine Gottliebe von Woyrsch were Protestants and members of the minor Polish aristocracy using the Wieniawa coat of arms He was educated at the Gymnasium in Lauban but left without gaining his Abitur certificate He went on to study at the Tarnowitz Mining School and the University of Berlin Blandowski s education was impacted by the death of his father financial hardships and controversies which resulted in quiet expulsions from various institutes After completing his education he was employed as an assistant manager at the Koenigsgrube coal mine at Koenigshutte A tempestuous character he became swept up in the revolutions of 1848 and wrote a letter to his employer about his revolutionary sentiments Resigning before he was dismissed he then joined the Schleswig Holstein Army in March 1848 and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant After completing his army service he tried unsuccessfully to obtain another appointment in the Prussian Mining Service but was turned down These setbacks were one of the motivations for him to emigrate to Australia in 1849 1 Exploration editBlandowski was one of a number of influential German speaking residents such as Ludwig Becker Hermann Beckler Amalie Dietrich Wilhelm Haacke Diedrich Henne Gerard Krefft Johann Luehmann Johann Menge Carl Mucke a k a Muecke Carl Mucke a k a Muecke Ludwig Preiss Carl Ludwig Christian Rumker a k a Ruemker Moritz Richard Schomburgk Richard Wolfgang Semon Karl Theodor Staiger George Ulrich Eugene von Guerard Robert von Lendenfeld Ferdinand von Mueller Georg von Neumayer and Carl Wilhelmi who brought their epistemic traditions to Australia and not only became deeply entangled with the Australian colonial project but also were intricately involved in imagining knowing and shaping colonial Australia Barrett et al 2018 p 2 2 He arrived in Adelaide on 14 September 1849 There are reports his passage was paid by a patron Karl Bernhardt Maximilian Wiebel Wibel 1808 1888 a founding member of the Zoological Museum in Hamburg 1 He began exploring the area around Adelaide and his sketches from this period include geological scenes fossils animals the Aborigines and their artefacts Some are crudely executed on the spot while others have been refined for further circulation He sent back specimens and sketches to Hamburg Blandowski was ambitious and made unsuccessful applications to the government and influential colonists to fund his explorations and surveys These entreaties were not successful and he left South Australia for the goldfields of Victoria in 1851 He made a fortune on the goldfields and he invented a double action force pump to prevent mines being flooded This success increased his profile and gained him the longed for entree into the upper echelons of society He was the first scientist appointed by Governor La Trobe to the new Victorian Museum on 1 April 1854 and had responsibility for early purchases of objects specimens and books for the museum 3 He later became a member of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria a forerunner of the Royal Society of Victoria He was also a founder of the Geological Society of Victoria in 1852 4 In 1856 the Philosophical Institute with 2000 in government backing initiated a scientific expedition the Blandowski Expedition to the Murray River led by Blandowski with Gerard Kreftt as second in command The expedition travelled from Melbourne to Mildura Station between 6 December 1856 and 8 April 1857 A camp was located at Mondellimin near modern Merbein on the southern side of the Murray and except for some side journeys made by Blandowski the expedition stayed there for eight months The Nyeri Nyeri people camped with the expedition and supplied most of the natural history specimens 5 Blandowski left the expedition early returning to Melbourne via riverboat and steamer at the beginning of August Krefft returned to Melbourne at the end of November 1857 6 Controversy editThroughout his life his ego and lack of interpersonal skills resulted in great disappointments and public scandals Blandowski decided to name some fish species documented on this expedition after members of the Philosophical Institute s council 7 However a controversy ensued when two prominent council members felt insulted by his descriptions of the fish named for them Sample N Slimy slippery fish Lives in the mud Is of a violent bluish colour on the belly The whole upper surface is of a dirty olivish green colour with numerous irregular dark patches 8 Sample B A fish easily recognized by its low forehead big belly and sharp spine 8 It is not known if Blandowski s insult was intentional but it certainly led to substantial acrimony in the council Blandowski refused to withdraw the descriptions or the paper in which they appeared and was quickly censured by the council The insulted parties attempted to have him expelled from the institute but eventually withdrew themselves when they could not obtain the required two thirds majority of votes 8 Blandowski remained active in the Philosophical Institute for the next three years participating in the Exploration Committee that organised the Burke and Wills expedition He felt strongly that Victorians should be actively involved in exploring Australia Blandowski returned to Europe in 1859 and complained of his treatment in Australia Legacy editIn his account of the expedition Blandowski states that he brought back to Melbourne 28 boxes and parcels of about 16 000 specimens registered under 2000 different number and travelled about 1300 miles During this expedition Blandowski made efforts to document the everyday activities of Indigenous people as well as dramatic conflicts and rituals he also developed close relationships with Aborigines and was sympathetic to their situation 9 In the early 21st century revived interest in Blandowski s explorations has generated discussion on the provenance of the sketches and illustrations attributed to him 10 11 12 13 His early sketches drawn while he was in South Australia reveal he had little skill as an artist During the Blandowski Expedition Krefft was employed as an artist and made hundreds of drawings of the specimens gathered and the environment and people they encountered these drawings are highly nuanced and capture in fine detail the images he is recording nbsp Corroboree on the Murray River by Gerard Krefft 1857When he was back in Melbourne Blandowski employed James Redaway 14 to create engravings of some of the drawings and in Germany Gustav Mutzel also created illustrations and etchings In 1862 he published Australia in Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen 15 a pamphlet illustrated by Gustav Mutzel about his experiences in Australia with different sections dealing with Indigenous culture economy activities initiation ceremonies combat sickness and death In this work Blandowski does not attribute the drawings to Krefft and this has created some of the confusion about attribution of the works What is known is that in many cases the final works were either taken from photographs turned into etchings and then photographed again or were originally sketches that became etchings In all cases the works were enhanced using the artistic conventions of the time He is commemorated in a genus of marine fish Blandowskius and of the Murray River perches Blandowskiella 4 Death editHe was committed to the Provincial Mental Asylum in Bunzlau now Boleslawiec in 1873 He died there of an obstruction of the bowels on 18 December 1878 16 Published works editBlandowski William 1822 Australien in 142 photographischen Verlag 1862 available onlineNotes edit a b Darragh Thomas Alwynne 2009 William Blandowski a frustrated life retrieved 28 April 2018 In relation to Australasia another German speaking explorer and geologist Julius von Haast 1822 1887 was appointed as the inaugural Curator Director of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch New Zealand in 1867 Stephens Matthew Sean 2013 The Australian Museum Library its formation function and scientific contribution 1836 1917 Thesis University of New South Wales School of Humanities a b Blandowski William 1822 1878 Trove 2009 Allen Harry 2009 Native companions Blandowski Krefft and the Aboriginies on the Murray River expedition Royal Society of Victoria retrieved 28 April 2018 Blandowski William Allen Harry 1944 2010 Australia William Blandowski s illustrated encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia Aboriginal Studies Press ISBN 978 0 85575 713 7 a href Template Citation html title Template Citation citation a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link CS1 maint numeric names authors list link An Explanation By a Distinguished Foreigner and Member of the Philosophical Institute Melbourne Punch Thursday 1 April 1858 p 81 a b c Science and the making of Victoria Philosophical Institute of Victoria p 21 22 Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and The Royal Society of Victoria Retrieved 16 May 2013 Blandowski William Philosophical Society of Victoria 1855 Personal observations in Victoria Goodhugh amp Trembath retrieved 28 April 2018 Allen Harry 2012 Introduction looking again at William Blandowski retrieved 28 April 2018 William Blandowski and his contribution to nineteenth century science and art in Australia 2009 retrieved 28 April 2018 Heckenberg Kerry 1 January 2014 Retrieving an archive Brook Andrew and William Blandowski s Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen University of Birmingham retrieved 28 April 2018 Allen Harry 2006 Authorship and ownership in Blandowski s Australien in 142 photographischen Abbildungen 1862 Paper in Volume of Papers in Honour of Judy Birmingham Paterson Alistair and Casey Mary eds Australasian Historical Archaeology 24 2006 31 37 ISSN 1322 9214 James Redaway biography at at Design and Art Australia Online www daao org au Digitalisierte Sammlungen der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Darragh 2012 p 234 References editAllen H 2006 Authorship and ownership in Blandowski s Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen Australasian Historical Archaeology Vol 24 pp 31 37 JSTOR 29544554 Allen H 2009a Introduction Looking again at William Blandowski Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 121 No 1 September 2009 pp 1 10 Allen H 2009b Native Companions Blandowski Krefft and the Aborigines on the Murray River Expedition Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 121 No 1 September 2009 pp 129 145 Barrett L Eckstein L Hurley A W amp Schwarz A 2018 Remembering German Australian Colonial Entanglement An Introduction Postcolonial Studies Vol 21 No 1 January 2018 pp 1 5 doi 10 1080 13688790 2018 1443671 Darragh Thomas A 2009 William Blandowski A Frustrated Life Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 121 No 1 September 2009 pp 11 60 Darragh Thomas A 2012 The Death of William Blandowski Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 124 pp 234 235 Humphries P 2003 Blandowski Misses Out Ichthyological Etiquette in 19th century Australia Endeavour Vol 27 No 4 December 2003 pp 160 165 doi 10 1016 j endeavour 2003 08 006 Kean J 2009 Observing Mondellimin or when Gerard Krefft saved once more the honour of the exploring expedition Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 121 No 1 September 2009 pp 109 128 Menkhorst Peter W 2009 Blandowski s Mammals Clues to a Lost World Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 121 No 1 September 2009 pp 61 89 Nancarrow Jenny 2009 Gerard Krefft A Singular Man Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol 121 No 1 September 2009 pp 146 154 Paszkowski L 1967 William Blandowski The First Government Zoologist of Victoria The Australian Zoologist Vol 14 No 2 2 August 1967 pp 147 172 Paszkowski L 1969 Blandowski William 1822 1878 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography Volume 3 1851 1890 A C Melbourne Melbourne University Press Wilkinson I 1996 The Battle for the Museum Frederick McCoy and the Establishment of the National Museum of Victoria at the University of Melbourne Historical Records of Australian Science Vol 1 No 1 January 1996 pp 1 11 doi 10 1071 HR9961110001External links edit nbsp Media related to William Blandowski at Wikimedia Commons An Australian chronicle revisited In 2007 a monument was erected to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the expedition Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Blandowski amp oldid 1177803302, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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