King Billy

Primary Artist

Lionel Lindsay (1874–1961)

Title

King Billy

Date made

1918

Reference

Mendelssohn (1987), 167

Work number

Queale bequest (1982), 457

Category

Print

Print type

intaglio

Technique

etching, roulette and burnishing, printed in brown ink with plate-tone, from one plate

Text printed from matrix

Printed facsimile signature and date lower left within image, 'B.E. MINNS 1918'. Printed text on king-plate, 'KING BILLY / LAFF / AN THE WORLD / LAFFS WITH YOU / MINE TINKIT'.

Matrix size

22.6 x 16.0 cm (plate-mark)

Edition information

1st state, proofs only; 2nd state, edition of 50, plus proofs

Subject categories

Australia, Art style: Painter-etchers 1860s-1938 | Collection: The Alan Queale collection of Lionel Lindsay etchings and wood-engravings, acquired 1982. | Aboriginal Australians: Portrait, male

Subject description

Portrait of Aboriginal man, "King Billy", wearing top hat and engraved breast-plate.

Country of context

Australia

Legacy id

93029

Creators

LINDSAY, Lionel | (1874–1961) Australian | Male | artist

Minns, B.E. | (1864–1937) Australian | Male | print after

Impressions

Collection

National Gallery of Australia | 83.905

State

2nd state of 2; published state

Impression

undesignated impression

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