Exhibitions

Captured Moments: Photographs by Jackie Robinson

Opens 06-12-2019,  closes 26-04-2020

Salon Gallery

Photographs reflect captured moments: times of joy, hardship and survival. They document the lives and stories of the people and places photographed.

At a time when mining towns were booming, amateur photographer John (Jackie) Robinson captured moments that have encapsulated daily life in Tasmania’s west in the early 20th century.

It was not easy to get to these places, often involving long treks through mud and dense vegetation or getting a lift on the horse and cart which delivered supplies to the prospectors.

This did not deter Robinson, who did not have the luxury of a smartphone or digital camera but lugged heavy boxes containing his camera equipment – including glass photographic plates and the essential tripod – across the rugged terrain in search of those moments.

He captured those living rough seeking their fortune through prospecting minerals, as well as shared moments with family and special occasions.

Robinson was born in England in 1883, and relocated to Tasmania when he was one year old. He took up a position with the Mount Bischoff Tin Mining Company in Waratah in 1913, which gave him access to myriad opportunities to capture the west’s striking landscapes as well as life in a bustling mining town.

Though he remained an enthusiastic amateur, his photographs were well published throughout Tasmania and Australia, with his black-and-white landscapes seen in the Weekly Courier and Examiner Annuals, and his lantern slides also regularly used to promote Tasmanian tourism.

This exhibition invites you to look closely into Robinson’s images and discover the hardships, the joy and the unique nature of living in the rugged environment of Tasmania’s west.

Image: John (Jackie) Robinson (1883-1953), Prospector’s camp at Flea Flat, Nineteen Mile Creek, 1918.