The nineteenth century's creation of different optical devices such as the camera obscura, the kaleidoscope and the thaumatrope signifies a change in the perception of vision at the time. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the work of four artists with reference to nineteenth century concerns surrounding vision. The scope for this examination is limited to the painted portraiture of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Singer Sargent and photographic portraiture of Julia Margaret Cameron and Félix Nadar Tournachon. Rossetti and Cameron represent two Victorian artists whose vision is turned inward to the imagination, with feelings of nostalgia and sentimentalism evoked in their portraits. This dissertation argues that the act of turning the eye inwards to the imagination is at the root of the flattering quality of these two artists' portraits. A further argument is that the sustained use of literary reference is the catalyst to the inward vision seen in these two Victorian artists' work. I examine Dante Gabriel Rossetti‟s later phase of idealised and "flattering" portraits of women in relation to the sonnets that Rossetti began to physically attach to either the frame or canvas of the portrait. The use of literary reference as catalyst to the inward vision is discussed namely through Julia Margaret Cameron‟s photographic portraits based on Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Enoch Arden. Cameron's allegorical and often mythological portraits of women are then analysed in order to establish the "flattering" quality of her portraits. With regards to the two artists who have been termed "faithful", an examination of their more outward vision and focus on the exterior realities is discussed. An exposition surrounding Félix Nadar Tournachon's "faithful" photographic portraits of nineteenth-century celebrities follows the discussion on Cameron. In order to further enquire into the notion of nineteenthcentury celebrities, an examination of John Singer Sargent follows. With the idea of Sargent being torn between the faithful and the flattering, I examine his more faithful Portrait of Madame X in relation to his later flattering celebrity portraits painted in the Grand Manner. In conclusion it will be suggested that Victorian and French ideas of vision and representation differed, exemplified by these four artists. These two very different perceptions of vision, one inward and the other outward, is the root of my distinction between the "faithful" and the "flattering" as manifested in portraiture.

Die militêre, politieke en in mindere mate, die ekonomiese geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika was reeds die onderwerp van vele navorsing. Daarenteen het die geskiedkundiege ontwikkeling van bepaalde dorpe en streke min aandag geniet in die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedskrywing. In 'n uitgestrekte land soos hierdie is streeksontwikkeling en die groei van intensief gevestigde gemeenskappe belangrik in die ontwikkeling van die hele land, en die geskiedenis van die streeksontwikkeling dus belangrik die geskiednis van die geheel. My besluit om as onderwerp van die verhandeling te neem die geskiedenis van die Kakamas Arbeidskolonie is dus gemotiveer deur die rol wat hierdie Kerk-nedersetting gespeel het in die ontwikkeling van die Kaapse Noord-Weste, in die invloed wat dit uitgeoefen het op die landbou- en irrigasiebeleid van die Staat en in die bydrae wat dit gelewer het tot 'n oplossing van die Armblanke-probleem. Die Studie omvat: (a) 'n Oorsig van die vernaamste oorsake van die agterlikheid van die Suid-Afrikaanse landbou en besproeiing teen die einde van die 19de eeu. (b) Bywoners, armblankea en die Armsorg van die N.G. Kerk. Toestande in die Noordwestelike Kaap en die aanvang van die Kakamas Arbeidskolonie. (c) Die groei en ontwikkeling van die Nedersetting. Probleme, administrasie, finansies, handel en landbouontwikkeling. (d) Opvoeding van die jeug. Kerklike, sosiale en kulturele aangeleenthede in die Kolonie. (e) Verhouding tussen die Koloniste en die Arbeidskolonie Kommissie. Die stryd om eiendomsreg en selfbestuur. Verskillende regeringskommissies en hulle verslae. Ooreenkoms tussen Kerk en Staat. (f) Die jongste grondwet. Invloed van die Arbeidskolonie op besproeiingsbeleid, ens.

Includes bibliography. / For the National Party of South Africa, Communism was simultaneously a legitimate concern and a useful concept with which to attract voters and deflect criticism. The threat of Communism was frequently allied with the threat of African nationalism in National Party discourse during the apartheid era. The alliance between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party, and the Soviet's role in supporting various governments and opposition movements on the subcontinent lent credence to the National Party's stance. This study, believed to be the first of its kind on the subject, examined the National Party's perception of the Communist 'threat' or 'red peril' from c. 1985 until February 1990, at a time when the Communist's role on the subcontinent was changing but 'revolutionary' unrest in South Africa was escalating. The study culminated in an assessment of National Party discourse prior to and during February 1990 to decipher the influence of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe on the decision to lift the bans on the ANC, SACP and PAC. Secondary research examined the facets of the Communist 'threat' in South Africa. Primary research used the South African Survey, the parliamentary Hansard, key journals, party and sub-national newspapers, the papers of P. W. Botha and F.W. de Klerk, and party electioneering material to analyse National Party references to the Communist 'threat'. In addition F.W. de Klerk, and his co-author, David Steward were interviewed. The analysis was necessarily qualitative, but the volume of evidence gathered enabled a number of insights to be advanced. The National Party's references to the Communist 'threat' changed during the period in response to political settlement in South West Africa/Namibia, the increased pressure from the West to abolish apartheid, and to domestic political challenges both from traditional sources of opposition and traditional sources of support. The confusion caused by the changing loci of domestic political opposition and international criticism was also evident. While the portrayal of a Soviet driven Communist threat declined in party discourse and the National Party posited a more constructive approach to socio-economic aspects of the Communist threat (in the face of Conservative Party opposition), the portrayal of a military and political threat from Communist-backed forces remained common until 1989. The discourse between 1985-89 did not anticipate the lifting of the ban on the ANC-SACP alliance who were portrayed in party rhetoric as being committed to Communism, and therefore illegitimate negotiating partners, as late as July 1989. In this context the study examined the February 1990 lifting of the ban on the ANC-SACP alliance, against the background of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. The study demonstrated de Klerk's misjudgement of the ANC and his belief that as a result of the collapse of Communism, the initiative could be seized at the ANC's expense, to create a new political dispensation that still 'protected' the white minority.

This dissertation examines the reception of the artist, Irma Stern, from 1920 until 2013. Irma Stern has, since her lifetime, been one of South Africa's most celebrated artists. She has received a great deal of scholarly attention, attention in the popular press and on-going recognition in the market place. Through an evaluation of press clippings, literature, archival material (photographs, the minutes of meetings and letters) and market results, this study questions how Stern has come to assume such a privileged position, why she is of such scholarly interest and how she is valued in the market. The impact of different variables on Stern's reception - including social, political and intellectual factors - is investigated. It is proposed that, initially, the artist actively promoted herself, thus playing an important role in establishing her fame. However, her reputation has been built over time and what emerges as important is that audiences have approached and interpreted Stern differently at different times. During the artist's lifetime she was admired for her perceived ability to capture the 'spirit of Africa', apparently evident in her paintings of those culturally different from her. These paintings - of black African, Indian, coloured and Arab subjects - have remained an integral aspect of the artist's reputation and they are at the centre of much of the scholarly debate on the artist in the 1990s and 2000s. Stern has provided rich material for writers at different times and of different ideological positions - from colonial to postcolonial discourse and feminist studies. Also relevant to Stern's sustained reputation is the international recognition the artist has received. Stern's links to German Expressionism and recognition from foreign scholars and institutions served to legitimate the artist to a South African audience in her lifetime and posthumously. Moreover, the market has had an impact on Stern's reputation. While she was commercially successful in her lifetime, in the early 2000s her market values exceeded those of earlier periods and surpassed those of other twentieth-century South African artists. As a result, Stern's reputation in the 2000s is linked to her high market values; this dissertation closely investigates some of the factors that have influenced this market value. In conclusion, this dissertation fills a gap in the literature because it 1) analyses the artist's market and 2) provides an in-depth investigation of the development of the artist's reputation. A study in reception, it does not add to the already plentiful appraisals of the artist's work but considers instead how this work has fared within the context of the academic, popular and commercial art world.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123). / This dissertation takes as its central theme the context of a university as a setting for artworks. While globally many university art collections enjoy prominent status in their communities, and are well endowed and visited, their South African counterparts are sorely underused and valued. Thus, the aim of the study is twofold; in the first instance, an argument is made for the positive and productive role South African university art collections can play within their society - and primary research reveals the rich and varied collections held throughout the country. The second focus is on one particular case study: the University of Cape Town (UCT) art collection, and the acquisition body that oversees it, the Works of Art Committee (WOAC). Through a detailed analysis of this committee's thirty-year archive, and informed by the experience of an extensive internship with the WOAC, the study provides an overview of their operation, assessing their successes and failures. What is revealed is that there are numerous problems inherent within the way in which this committee is run, and the management of the art collection in general. Aside from compositional issues within the committee itself, the fact that there is no educational integration between the collection and the university community, is highly problematic. As such, numerous suggestions are offered, with the hope that the collection can become a more meaningful presence to those on campus, and beyond. For, with a far healthier acquisition budget than the South African National Gallery, and access to a large and diverse audience, it seems as though a highly exciting opportunity is being overlooked.

Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis breaks new ground in oral history methodology in South African historiography. It applies an approach to research which evolved from participation in the Masters Students Programme of Community Education Resources at the University of Cape Town. The thesis investigates the process of historical research in Mamre, a mission village fifty kilometres north-west from Cape Town. CER's research methodology provided the basis of interaction between myself as an academic historian and members of the Mamre community interested in researching their own history. Through my participation as facilitator, sharing skills of oral history methodology and resource production, members of the Mamre History Project were able to research and present a new vision of Mamre's history to the community. This thesis documents the process of this interaction and interrogates the meaning of history in the Mamre community. It focuses on the experience of migration in the first half of the twentieth century based on oral testimony from life history interviews of Mamriers born in this era. It also probes how community identity in Mamre is forged over time, and transcends spatial boundaries. Mamriers' community identity incorporates both city and countryside because the common experience of migration to Cape Town began last century and the networks between the two milieux still persist. The study also raises issues of memory and nostalgia in the creation of both individual and collective identity. The aim of this thesis is to discover new ways of making history in the academy and in the community; and to break down barriers between the two audiences.

archives@tulane.edu / Today Marie-Antoinette appears in the USA as a dazzling character. Propaganda from the French revolution compared her to the Chimera, and she indeed shares some traits with this mythological monster. Heterogeneous and composite, she is both a wicked queen and a tragic heroin. Media outlets invoke her name to criticize politicians and celebrities, while also painting her as a compassionate figure and paragon of feminism. A symbol of French luxury, Marie-Antoinette is a queen of fashion and a comparative tool for gauging contempt of the wealthiest. The historian, journalist or economist can seize upon one facet of her to offer a critical or benevolent personal view, thus creating a confused, contradictory, and sublime picture of her. Claiming that this use of her images distorts history, we will study the queen’s occurrence in modern USA in popular culture and scholarly works. A symbol of economic prosperity, she provides opposing guidelines for definitions of success. We will show that these factors come from a fictive figure, a Chimera in its definition of an unreal monster. We will then explore the different manifestations of the queen to understand where they originated, spotlighting New Orleans, where her image is particularly influential. We will also explore American and world images, showing how US medias and film industry influence the world’s understanding of the character. / 1 / Guillaume Tabet

The idea for using Southey's letters as the basis for a study of his administration or Griqualand West was suggested to me by two historians, one South African and one American, almost simultaneously. Thus inspired, I spent many hours in the Cape Archives where I became fascinated by Southey, his friends and his numerous adversaries. Southey was a tireless correspondent, and from his detailed accounts of the day to day happenings in Griqualand West and his definite opinions on people and events, a vivid picture emerges of Southey as a man. Stubborn, irascible, protocol minded and disorganized on one hand, humanitarian and imperialistic to the point of being almost visionary in his dreams for Africa on the other. The difficulty was to present Southey in depth without drowning in detail. Certain aspects of Southey's administration I have deliberately omitted, for instance, the complicated issue of ownership of the land which became Griqualand West and the endless boundary squabbles with the OFS and the SAR. Others, such as Southey's relations with Barkly, Carnarvon and Froude I have only touched upon from Southey's point of view as they have been dealt with in great detail by Mr. Goodfellow and Mrs. Macmillan. I have concentrated on the specific issue of Southey's administration and why it tailed. Southey's attitude towards the natives, which affected his views on the arms trade, complicated the settlement of the land problem, and soured his relations with the diggers was one factor. There were others as far flung as the fluctuation of the world diamond market, and as near as Southey's inability to compromise and his knack of making both warm friends and bitter enemies.

Saul Solomon was born in 1817 and died in 1892. He was never a member of the Legislative Council, so that his political career can be said to have begun in 1854, when he was returned to the first House of Assembly as one of the four members representing Capetown. He held his seat with a break of only one year, in 1869, until 1883, when illness oompelled him to retire. To my mind, prior to 1854, he was but an 'amateur' politician, using the word in no depreciatory sense,and I therefore propose to concentrate most of my attention on his parliamentary career.

In this thesis the central narratives of Western art history, specifically those related to modernism and African art, are considered in light of a climate of criticism concentrated over the past thirty years in Western and South African an historiography. In considering complexities of interpretation of the life and work of the African modernist painter, Ernest Mancoba, I address a perceived need for a critical discourse pertaining to early black South African modernist art. As a way of organising both my critique and contribution, I establish and use the thematic of distance. This work argues for greater consideration of individual motivation and circumstance in our understanding of early African modernist art production.