Photographic portrait of man sitting on horse, Thomas Sladdin, Barossa Valley, 1895 to 1900

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Type: Albumen prints, Photographs
Date: 1895 - 1900
Place: Barossa Range, South Australia, Australia
Materials: Card, Photographic emulsion
Collection: Horse Photographic Portrait collection
Accession number: 2013.0060.0002

Description

A black and white coloured photograph of a man sitting on a horse. He is wearing a hat and has a long beard. There are some trees in the background and a dog on the left side of the photo. The name 'T. SLADDIN / PHOTOGRAPHER' is stamped on the reverse side in blue ink.

This photograph is a portrait of a man on horseback. It was taken by photographer Thomas Sladdin, who was based in Lyndoch in South Australia between 1895 and 1900. Sladdin travelled throughout the region on a regular basis, taking photographs of people in outlying areas. The subject of the photograph is unknown.

About the collection

This collection contains two photographs of horse and rider portraits. Horse and rider portraits grew in popularity at the end of the nineteenth century. One photograph was taken by Thomas Sladdin of Lyndoch in South Australia between 1895 and 1900. The second photograph shows a man on horseback in country Victoria taken around 1870 by an unknown photographer. Horse ownership had different meanings across the nineteenth century. In early colonial Australia, it was a sign of wealth and social status. Horse and rider portraits point to a sense of pride associated with owning a horse. By the latter half of the nineteenth century, horse ownership became more accessible to the general population. By 1920 horse ownership was at a ratio of almost one horse to every two people. Class distinctions became more nuanced as those riders who considered themselves among the genteel members of society sought to distinguish themselves. The appearance and breed of a horse, the rider's attire and the quality of the tack or carriage enhanced their elevated status. Throughout the nineteenth century, the horse remained a symbol of social status, as well as a form of transport and utility. For settlers and emancipists writing letters home, 'horse ownership was final proof that things couldn't be better'.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:20:34 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-02-23. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.