The man with the donkey

Places
Accession Number ART92147
Collection type Art
Measurement Overall: 102.5 x 75 cm
Object type Work on paper
Physical description watercolour on paper
Maker Moore-Jones, Horace
Place made New Zealand
Date made 1917
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Depicts New Zealander Private Richard (Dick) Alexander Henderson of the New Zealand Medical Corps with a donkey. Moore-Jones believed that the photo he based it on was of Private John Simpson Kirkpatrick of the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance and his donkey, 'Murphy'. However, the painting was actually based on a photograph taken by Sgt. Jas (James) G Jackson of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force of Dick Henderson, not Simpson. Henderson is shown as a full-length figure, moving forwards along a cliff edge, supporting a wounded soldier seated on his donkey. This work was reproduced by the British Historical Section (Military Branch) of the Committee of Imperial Defence, London, in July 1926. It was owned by the Commonwealth Government in London and then came back to Australia during the 1960s, where it became property of the Prime Minister's Department and from there entered the National Gallery of Australia's collections during the 1980s. The painting was presented to the Commonwealth Government through Sir John McEwan.