NATIONAL GALLERY OF JAMAICA !#$%&'( )*+,--- · Art Museum Miami (PAMM), and Nicole Smythe-Johnson , independent Jamaican curator and writer; John Dunkley: Neither Day Nor Night Þrst

NATIONAL GALLERY OF JAMAICA

DAYLIGHTCOME...Picturing Dunkley’sJamaica


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Daylight Come...Picturing Dunkley’s Jamaica

Catalogue List

Credits

Detail of The Millers’ Tool Box (n.d.), ONYX Foundation

This exhibition Daylight Come...Picturing Dunkley’s Jamaica is inspired by the life and work of Jamaican Intuitive artist John Dunkley, who was born in Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland and lived from 1891 to 1947. It offers an opportunity to explore the world of Dunkley beyond his own creative output, in order to illustrate the wider social and cultural contexts that he would have contended with as a turn-of-the-century Jamaican in the British Colonial Empire.

The title: Daylight Come..., is symbolic of the transition of a suppressed mindset that – in spite of obstacles to social progress – becomes empowered and capable of envisioning new possibilities. John Dunkley,

Banana Plantation (c. 1945), National Gallery of Jamaica(not included in exhibition)

DAYLIGHTCOME...Picturing Dunkley’sJamaica

By Monique Barnett-Davidson, Assistant Curator

NATIONAL GALLERY OF JAMAICAPG 2

This exhibition complements John Dunkley: Neither Day nor Night, which is a once-in-a-lifetime display of the largest gathering of Dunkley artworks since his posthumous retrospective at the NGJ in 1976. Curated by Diana Nawi, independent curator formerly of the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), and Nicole Smythe-Johnson, independent Jamaican curator and writer; John Dunkley: Neither Day Nor Night first opened at PAMM from May 26, 2017 to January 14, 2018.

Guided by themes such as tourism, immigration and the emergence of cultural nationalism in Jamaica during the early 20th century, Daylight Come... explores the period of Dunkley’s lifetime as a specified historical time span; characterized by the previously mentioned transition of Jamaica’s socially marginalized, from the ending of the 19th century up to the first few decades of the 20th century. Illustrated with a selection of artwork created by various image-makers – both itinerant and Jamaican throughout the period - this exploration includes photography, paintings and sculptures along with other associated artifacts.

John Dunkley, Sandy Gully (1941), National Gallery of Jamaica(not included in exhibition)

NATIONAL GALLERY OF JAMAICA PG 3

Dunkley’s time period was only a few decades after the Morant Bay War of 1865. Among its many outcomes, the War had led to the renouncement of the local House of Assembly system and transformed Jamaica into a ‘crown colony’, ruled directly by the British Government. Factors including the stagnation of the plantation economy due to indebtedness, lack of technological improvements for the sugar industry and the diminished ability to import immigrant labourers, as well as devastating forces of nature - hurricanes, droughts, and earthquakes - persisted well into the late 1800s. These factors created an environment which kept many black Jamaicans and other ethnic groups impoverished. The situation forced many Jamaicans, including Dunkley and also Marcus Garvey, to emigrate during the early 1900s in pursuit of better employment opportunities, generated by lucrative agricultural and economic developments outside of Jamaica.

Adolphe Duperly and Sons, Loading Steamer, Port Antonio(c1908)National Gallery of Jamaica


Adolphe Duperly and Sons, Sugar Cane Cutters (c1908-1909)National Gallery of Jamaica

This reality is only hinted at in early 20th century photography, developed by the likes of Adolphe Duperly and Sons, Sir Harry Johnston and H.J. Hood-Daniel. In the main, the photographs presented a commoditized gaze of Jamaica’s idyllic landscapes and burgeoning modernity, for curious visitors looking to partake of an island paradise. But the photographers’ gaze also sanitized the social and racial disparity between various groups; the impoverished in particular were depicted with an expression of passivity and awkward compliance. Other media and devices of the period, including postcards and the lantern slide projector, were modern innovations in the dissemination of such images, designed to accommodate foreign consumption and subverting the realities of the colonial island. By extension, the proliferation of such imagery implied that a kind of social dominance may have been at play, as there was rarely any evidence to support the idea that these ‘noble natives’ and indentured workers had any kind of agency in determining how they were to be depicted in relation to the more pervasive narratives concerning the character of the colony.

AnonymousGolden Vale, Banana Plantation (n.d.)ONYX Foundation


Lantern Slide Projector with Lantern Slides,(n.d.) National Museum Jamaica

It is one of the reasons that Dunkley’s legacy is that of a pioneer: an early 20th century black Jamaican exercising his creative agency in a way that was so unique, especially after his path-defining encounter with H. Delves Molesworth, Secretary of the Institute of Jamaica. It was inevitable for his artwork to form a part of the cultural revolution that birthed the emergence of the Jamaican art community by the late 1930s. He was not however, alone in this regard, considering contemporaries such as the Millers, Carl Abrahams, Albert Huie, David Pottinger, Ralph Campbell and Henry Daley among others. They highlight for us the emerging desire by a number of persons of that generation to reshape, reform and in some cases revolutionize the images that were used to depict and define the majority of the Jamaican people and their environment. Artworks such as Huie’s Girl with Beads (1938) or Daley’s The Artist (1945) invite us to utilize different categorizations for the black Jamaican. Other artworks such as David Miller Jnr’s sculpted heads encourage us to consider the technical sophistication and depth of expression achieved by the artist. Early nationalist ideologies such as Garveyism – which preceded the Jamaica’s cultural revolution by over a decade – motivated Dunkley and many of his countrymen to strive for self-reliance and independence of thought and insight.

Albert HuieGirl in Pink Dress (1945)National Gallery of Jamaica

Carl Abrahams,Mr. Molesworth(c.1938)National Gallery of Jamaica


David Miller Snr Detail of Rasta do not touch I, (1955) National Gallery of Jamaica


Edna ManleyDetail of Prayer (c. 1937)National Gallery of Jamaica

Collectively, these developments fuelled Jamaican self-definition, energizing the Jamaican modern art movement as well as the political developments, which propelled the leadership of the early trade unions, and later the political parties to form an independent state, no longer under direct colonial authority. It is our hope that this exhibition adds another dimension to our understanding of the creation of the Jamaican artist and their ability to embody not only inspiration but also time and insight in their works.


In the words of Jamaican scholar Philip Sherlock,

There are mountain-top times in the Jamaica story when “day da light” and sunrise comes, as if we were standing on the peak in a clear dawn …

Quote taken from Phillip Sherlock and Hazel Bennett, The Story of the Jamaican People, (Ian Randle Publishers et al, 1998)


CATALOGUE LIST

David Miller Jnr.,Detail of Male Head,(1949)National Gallery of Jamaica


“Greatness could not exist in the backwoods. Nor anywhere in the colony. To them and to all islanders greatness was a foreign thing.”- Claude McKay, Banana Bottom, 1933

AnonymousChinese Family, c. 1905Digital Print20 x 25 cmONYX Foundation

AnonymousMontego Bay to Williamsfield, Jamaica, 1913Film FootageDuration: 7 minutes

John Cleary Walder- Hicks Picnic, c.1898Digital Print20 x 25 cmONYX Foundation

John Cleary At Home, c 1895Digital Print20 x 25 cmONYX Foundation

John Cleary Portrait of Chinese Woman, c.1905Digital Print20 x 25 cmONYX Foundation

Adolphe Duperly & SonsMyrtle Bank Hotel (Front View), 1901 Silver Gelatin print 19 x 24 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsJubilee Market, 1901Silver Gelatin print16.6 x 21.5 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsKing Street showing Victoria Market, 1901Silver Gelatin Print19 x 24 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsSugar Cane Cutters c1908-1909Sepia toned photograph15.5 x 20.7 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsOrange Street, 1901Silver Gelatin print19 x 24 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

A. Duperly and SonsRoad to Rockfort, c1900Silver Gelatin Print15.5 x 20.7 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsCoolies, 1901Silver GelatinNational Gallery of Jamaica

H.S. Duperly Family, near Spanish Town, c 1905Digital Print20 x 25 cmONYX Foundation

Sir Harry JohnstonCountry Girls, c1908-1909Sepia toned photograph21.5 x 16.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsLoading Steamer, Port Antonio, c1908Sepia toned photograph16.4 x 21.5 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonJamaican Negroes, c1908-1909Black and White photograph21.5 x 16.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica(Detail on front page)

Sir Harry JohnstonA Jamaican Negro, c1908-1909Black and White photograph21.4 x 16.3 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonNegro Peasant Woman, c1908-1909Black and White photograph21.5 x 16.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Attributed to Adolphe Duperly & SonsLinstead Market Place, c.1895Digital Print43 x 65 cmONYX Foundation

Adolphe Duperly & Sons Arrival at the Exhibition, 1891Digital Print43 x 65 cmONYX Foundation

Attributed to E.E. Grant Touring Party Arriving at Castleton, c.1910Digital Print43 x 65 cmONYX Foundation

Herbert H.J. Hood-Daniel Boiler Drawn by Steers, Copse n.d.Photographic Print 36 x 28 cm National Gallery Collection

Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Donkeys: Mandeville Market n.d.Photographic Print 36 x 28 cm National Gallery Collection

Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Copse Factory n.d.Photographic Print 28 x 36 cm National Gallery Collection

Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Montego Bay Panorama n.d. Photographic Print 28 x 36 cm National Gallery of Jamaica


“I never knew how beautiful the world could be until I saw Jamaica. If ever a country looked as if it were waiting to make any man rich who could undertake the cultivation of it, that country is Jamaica. I was never so surprised in my life, sir, never.”- Letter to The Gleaner March 20, 1893, quoted in The Tourists Guide to Kingston.

Adolphe Duperly & SonsBlue Pool, 1901Silver Gelatin print19 x 24 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsCastleton Gardens, 1901Silver gelatin print18.5 x 24 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Adolphe Duperly & SonsRoaring River, 1901Silver Gelatin print16.5 x 21.3 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Various PhotographersViews of Jamaica (album), n.d.Displayed Pages: Left - Dr James Johnstone A Negro Wedding c.1890Right – Unknown PhotographerNative Hut, n.d.ONYX Foundation

Country Village. Spanish Town Road Collotype, divided back Postcard From A. Duperly and Sons Photograph ONYX Foundation

Adolphe Duperly & SonsNegro Village c. 190020 x 25 cm Photographic PrintONYX Foundation

Sir Harry JohnstonA Jamaican Farmer or Beekeeper, c1908-1909Sepia toned photograph16.4 x 21.4 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

A. Attewell Coolie Girls c.1900Postcard ONYX Foundation

David Miller JnrGirl Surprised,1949Mahogany Height: 48 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonStreet in Port Maria / Road in Jamaica, n.d.Sepia toned photograph21.6 x 16.3 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Thornton Pickard Wood Field Camera, c. 1890Variable DimensionsPrivate Collection

Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Farm House n.d.Photographic Print 28 x 36 cm National Gallery Collection

Lantern Slide ProjectorHeight: 45 cm With 3 lantern slides (on rotation)

- Lumber yard/Men at work - The square, Mandeville, Jamaica- Rowing Boat - Old Myrtle Bank Lawn - Kings House

National Museum Jamaica Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Mandeville Green with Court House I, n.d.Photographic Print 28 x 36 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Roadway with Coconut Tree n.d.Photographic Print 36 x 28 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Herbert H.J Hood-Daniel Lucea Harbour n.d.Photographic Print 28 x 36 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonWoman Offering Author an Orchid, c1908-1909Sepia toned photograph21.4 x 16.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonA Negro Peasant returning from Market, c1908-1909Sepia toned photograph16.4 x 12 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonA Negro Store, c1908-1909Black and White photograph16.3 x 21.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonIn the Maroon Country, c1908-1909Black and White photograph16.3 x 21.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Sir Harry JohnstonA Jamaican Farmer or Beekeeper, c1908-1909Sepia toned photograph16.4 x 21.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Albert Huie The Boxer, 1938Oil on Canvas 24 x 17.75 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Rhoda JacksonWashing in the River, 1945Oil on Canvas44.4 x 59.7 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Albert Huie The Vender, 1938 Oil on canvas 67.3 x 54.6 cm National Gallery of Jamaica


John Wood Portrait of a Jamaican Boy, c.1942Oil paint on Hardboard 55.9 x 41.9 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Koren Der Harootian Seated Woman Holding Sugar Cane, 1930Watercolour on Paper22 x 15 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

“National culture is a national consciousness, reflected in the painting of pictures of our own mountains and our own womenfolk, in building those houses that are more suitable for us to live …”- The Rt. Hon. Norman Washington Manley, 1939

AnonymousJamaica 1930s, n.d.Duration: 9:43 minutes

Carl AbrahamsMr. Molesworth, c1938Ink on paper41 x 26 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Albert Huie Girl in Pink Dress 1945Oil on Canvas 52 x 39.5 cm Aaron and Marjorie Matalon Collection National Gallery of Jamaica

Albert Huie Girl with Beads, 1938Oil on Canvas 59 x 43.2 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Albert Huie Young Girl with Pink Necklace, 1940Oil on Canvas 33 x 23 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

David Pottinger Bread Sellers, 1945 Oil on Canvas 48.3 x 58.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica Ralph CampbellHot Sun, 1945Oil on Canvas 40 x 50 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Henry Daley The Artist, 1945Oil on Hardboard 59.1 x 44.4 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

Koren Der Harootian Albert Huie, 1940Pencil on paper 16 x 12.5 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

David Miller JnrMale Head, 1949Mahogany Height: 54 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

David Miller SnrRasta do not touch I, 1955Wood Height: 38.1 cm National Gallery of Jamaica

The Millers’ Tool Box, nd. Height: 16 cm ONYX Foundation

Edna Manley Male and Female, c.1933Ink on paper10.5 x 19.5 cm National Gallery of Jamaica Edna Manley Prayer, c. 1937 Mahogany Height: 58.4 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica

Henry DaleyOld Cotton Tree, 1944Oil on Canvas61 x 85.1 cmNational Gallery of Jamaica


CREDITSNational Gallery of Jamaica BoardSen. the Hon.Thomas Tavares-Finson, CD, QC (Chairman), Mrs Marigold Harding, CD (Deputy Chair), Mr Vivian Crawford (Executive Director, IoJ), Mr Stephen Facey, Mr Josef Forstmayr, Ms Susanne Fredricks, Dr Delroy Gordon, Dr Jonathan Greenland, Mr Alexander Johnson, Ms Michelle Myers Mayne, Dr Douglas McDonald, Ms Margaret Moodie-Jervis, Mr Delano McFarlane, Mr Anthony Miller, Ms Annie Paul, Mr Omari Ra, Mrs Tina Spiro.

National Gallery of Jamaica StaffActing Executive Director: Jonathan GreenlandDirector of Finance & Administration: Diane MosesGift Shop Manager: Ayanna GordonSecretaries: Dione Casey-Laud, Kadian MayneAccounts Department: Yascha McKenzie, Natillia Whyte, Lecia Drummond Receptionist/Procurement Officer: Javel HaydenSenior Curator: O’Neil LawrenceAssistant Curators: Monique Barnett-Davidson, Shawna-Lee TaiConservator: Joelle SalkeyRecords & Information Manager: Roxanne SilentCuratorial Assistants: Dwayne Lyttle, Cristal Clayton-WallaceInstallation Officer: Seymour LewisDriver: Damian CooperMessenger: Jennie MasonAncillary: Carol Allen, Marlene Fearon, Claudia JohnsonInternal Security: Patrick Gardener, Omarie Russell, Errol SmithExternal Security: Andrae Clinton, Newton Richards, Norris Brooks

Exhibition TeamLead Curator: Monique Barnett-Davidson Senior Curator: O’Neil LawrenceConservation: Joelle SalkeyRegistration: Roxanne SilentCuratorial Assistants: Dwayne Lyttle, Cristal Clayton-WallaceVolunteer: Di-Andre Caprice DavisInstallation: Seymour Lewis Painting: Christopher BeckfordDriver (temporary): Stafford WarmingtonAdministration: Diane Moses, Dione Casey-LaudCatalogue design and exhibition graphics: RepresentPhotography: National Gallery of Jamaica

Special Thanks to the ONYX Foundation and National Museum Jamaica (IoJ).

Published by the National Gallery of JamaicaJune 11, 2018©The National Gallery of Jamaica

The National Gallery of Jamaica is a division of the Institute of Jamaica, Ministry of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sport



Documents

NATIONAL GALLERY OF JAMAICA !#$%&'( )*+,--- · Art Museum Miami (PAMM), and Nicole Smythe-Johnson , independent Jamaican curator and writer; John Dunkley: Neither Day Nor Night Þrst