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Portrait Detective

Portrait Detective

By: We Are So Into History
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About this listen

 A new podcast series brought to you by State Library of NSW, Create NSW and We Are So Into History. Series 1 of Portrait Detective dives into the collections of the State Library to discover the stories behind iconic portraits from 1817 to 1865. Join Margot Riley and Cassie Gilmartin as they journey back in time to discuss each portrait's significance and how they can help you learn more about your own photographs in your family history collection. For more, visit portraitdetective.com.au Credits Hosts: Cassie Gilmartin and Margot Riley Producer: Daniel Butler Studio: 2SER Created by: Cassie Gilmartin and Margot Riley in partnership with State Library of NSW and Create NSW We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which this podcast was recorded, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.Copyright 2025 We Are So Into History Art World
Episodes
  • Parramatta’s fashionable lady, 1865

    Parramatta’s fashionable lady, 1865
    Apr 4 2021

    Was Governor Bligh’s colonial regime brought to its knees by a fracas over his daughter’s undergarments? And how does this relate to a photograph of a fashionably dressed young woman taken in Parramatta in 1865? All will be revealed as Margot Riley and Cassie Gilmartin discuss the industrial advances of the 1860s and the huge impact these had on women’s fashion. Series finale.
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    26 mins
  • Sydney’s accidental celebrity: Dunbar survivor James Johnson, 1857

    Sydney’s accidental celebrity: Dunbar survivor James Johnson, 1857
    Mar 28 2021

    James Johnson, the only survivor of the 1857 Dunbar shipwreck, was so fascinating to Sydneysiders that he was chased down the city’s streets. It was a tough time for this shy young man from Ireland who simply loved the sea. Margot and Cassie discuss the portrait that made him instantly recognisable, and discover how James ended his days in the colony.

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    23 mins
  • Two sisters, the mutiny and a happy snap from 1857

    Two sisters, the mutiny and a happy snap from 1857
    Mar 21 2021

    Who were the Nobbs sisters? And what is their link to the famous mutiny on the Bounty? Margot Riley and Cassie Gilmartin delve into the history behind this early ‘happy snap’ to see what we can learn about 19th-century life on Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands and the evidence revealed by the sisters’ clothing.


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    19 mins
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.