Vogan, Arthur James (1859 - 1948)
Arthur Vogan, a New Zealand artist, photographer, journalist and taxidermist, travelled extensively in the Pacific in the late 19th century. In 1895 he joined a New Guinea exploration mounted by the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. In 1911 he was a member of the Association for the Protection of the Native Races of Australasia and Polynesia.
He was author of The Black Police in 1889,
Its main purpose is to 'portray the treatment of the blacks by the whites in the early squatting days of Queensland; and its revelations are asserted to be mainly the outcome of the author's personal observation and experiences in that colony'.
He later studied aboriginal rock carvings in Australia and various Pacific Islands.
In 1889 the Australian Museum bought the Arthur Vogan collection of 55 Pacific island artefacts. Most were body accessories and stone tools from the Solomon Islands and New Zealand. In 1923 Mr Vogan sold the museum 61 artefacts from New Caledonia.
An article in The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, Sat 28 Aug 1897, Page 445, headed: 'Mr. A. J. Vogan', includes:
"...is at present in Sydney
on business in connection with a light tramway for the
Hot Lake districts of New Zealand.
Besides being
one of the best known special journalists in Australia
(having acted as artist-correspondent here for the
'Illustrated London News' for some years, as
well as doing similar work for numerous colonial
newspapers), Mr. Vogan has made a name for himself as
an explorer in New Guinea and Central Australia...
This
gentleman's latest geographical work has been the
large coloured map of the Coolgardie goldfields
(where Mr. Vogan spent over two years), published
last year by Messrs. G. Robertson and Co.
Mr. Vogan
commenced his press-life in 1885 in the columns
of this paper, numerous sketches and descriptive letterpress illustrative of explorations he was
engaged in in New Guinea on behalf of the R.G.S.
of Australasia being published by the 'Sydney Mail'.
The followiug year the subject of this sketch was
fortunate enough (from a pressman's point of view)
in being present in New Zealand during the great
volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera.
He was
probably the first person to reach the affected district from Auckland, and formed one of the rescue
party who saved numerous lives by unearthing those
unfortunates whom the heavy falls of mud and volcanic ejecta had buried in their homes.
His sketches
made at this time were the first to reach London,
and led to his engagement by our great London contemporary, already referred to, and to his services
being utilised for the illustrating of a book published
by the 'Auckland Star'.
Since then Mr. Vogan
has thrice traversed this continent, besides having
professionally visited most of the principal mining
centres..."
Source: Extracted from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_Exploration_Expedition_(1885)
https://researchdata.edu.au/arthur-james-vogan-19th-century/935462
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Dictionary_of_Australasian_Biography/Vogan,_Arthur_James
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/163795029
Portrait Photo: The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, Sat 28 Aug 1897, Page 445
Collecting localities for 'Vogan, A.J.' from AVH (2024)
Data from 118 specimens