swagman

7 photos tagged swagman, from 4 members of Flickr Commons.

When were these photos taken?

2
1900
2010

 

Where were these photos tagged?

None of these photos are geotagged.

Tags that often appear on the same photos:

Members using this tag

Photos

Photos tagged swagman:

Loading photos…

See more on flickr.com →

Recent uploads

The last upload was May 2019.

Conversations

Here’s a selection of the conversations happening on these photos:

Swagmen standing under trees in rural Queensland ca. 1905

  • Vesna Verencevic said:
    A swagman (also called a swaggie, sundowner or tussocker) was a transient labourer who travelled by foot from farm to farm carrying his belongings in a swag (bedroll). The term originated in Australia in the 19th century and was later used in New Zealand. Swagmen were particularly common in Australia during times of economic uncertainty, such as the 1890s and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Many unemployed men travelled the rural areas of Australia on foot, their few meagre possessions rolled up and carried in their swag. Their swag was frequently referred to as "Matilda", hence Waltzing Matilda refers to walking with their swag. Typically, they would seek work in farms and towns they travelled through, and in many cases the farmers, if no permanent work was available, would provide food and shelter in return for some menial task. The figure of the "jolly swagman", represented most famously in Banjo Paterson's bush poem "Waltzing Matilda", became a folk hero in 19th-century Australia, and is still seen today as a symbol of anti-authoritarian values that Australians considered to be part of the national character. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swagman

Nellie Kolle as a Swaggie, before 1924 / photographer unknown

  • 1 older comment, and then…
  • Kerouac Kid said:
    I'm from San Antonio, TX, USA and I just have to comment and say that I love having yall as a contact and looking at old pictures. It's so very intriguing!!
  • cheerful wheel said:
    Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Fascination Nostalgia, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
    Invitation / Invitación / Einladung / Invito / Convite / Uitnodiging / Приглашение /招待

    The photo is beautiful

    www.flickr.com/groups/fascination_nostalgia/
  • Cassiopée2010 said:
    Magnifique !

A rest on the road

  • 8 older comments, and then…
  • Jeffrey Oates said:
    another that captures the Tom Roberts art style,
  • Craig Heath said:
    I'm struck by the narrow depth of field in this image, and it seems the photographer must have tilted the lens to get both the eyes and the front foot in focus. Is it known what (type of) camera was used? Was the use of lens tilt common then?
  • Ian Sanderson said:
    strobie42 I suspect a posed shot in front of a backdrop.
  • Shoky Bsbs said:
    wonderful amazing portrait
  • cqgloomsunday said:
    Great work