This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/20/2021
Convict Ship “Success,” group of 19 photographs. Circa 1920s. Collection of press photos of the Australian prison ship, depicting the ship at anchor; jail cells; shackles and restraints; and men on its decks, including some dressed as prisoners. Size generally 6 ½ x 8 ½” or 8 x 10”. Hand-stamps of Illustrations Bureau (London), and Wide World Photo; many with caption slugs affixed to versos. Also with a loose newspaper page from the Daily Mirror (London) in which some of the images are reproduced (vertical tear). Built in 1840, “Success” never actually carried prisoners; it was used as a shipping vessel and as a passenger ship. A group of entrepreneurs in the late 19th century converted the vessel into a convict ship, refitting her with jail cells, punishment devices, and restraints. As a “floating museum,” “Success” was toured around the world for decades, purportedly showing the horrors of old time convict ships. One of its last public displays was at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.