Bellows
(19th century)
Medium
wood, leather, brass
Measurements
71.0 cm (height)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Professor Lynette Russell AM, 2022
Gallery location
Gallery 6
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
Tommy McRae was born around Wahgunyah in north-east Victoria at a time when Indigenous people were being moved to mission reserves. Despite opposition from early colonists, McRae refused to leave his home and developed a small, independent community that prospered with his leadership. To provide income, McRae sold his artwork, as well as poultry, fish and possum skin rugs. His prolific artistic output contributed to a significant portion of his living and provides an invaluable perspective on the changes affecting Indigenous communities in the late nineteenth century. McRae’s distinctive pictorial style is featured in Bellows: two ceremonial figures with body paint and weapons dance around a tree, surrounded by circular and track-like motifs.