First pole on the Overland Telegraph, c1870

Description

This is a black-and-white wood engraving of a drawing dating from about 1870 by Samuel Calvert (1828-1913). Probably set near Adelaide, South Australia, it depicts a group of men and women in mid-Victorian dress, circled around a rough-hewn telegraph pole, in a bush setting. The pole is being levered, using ropes, into an upright position, with its base in a hole in the ground. The men are raising their hats, possibly cheering. In the background, to the right, a workman on a ladder watches the proceedings, while on the left, part of a sloping-sided wall tent can be seen.

Acknowledgements