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DBL: Exhibition Histories

Unconquerable Spirit: George Stow and the landscapes of the San

Item

Title

Unconquerable Spirit: George Stow and the landscapes of the San

Creator

Pippa Skotnes

Date Created

2008

Type

Exhibition

Description

In 2008, the exhibition 'Unconquerable Spirit: George Stow and the landscapes of the San' opened at the Iziko Museum of South Africa. Curated by Pippa Skotnes, the exhibition featured the work of a relatively unknown figure in 19th century South African history. George William Stow was a British born, South African geologist, ethnologist, poet, historian, artist, cartographer, and writer who was responsible for a creating large collection of watercolours and drawings that documented the rock art he found in the caves and shelters of South Africa. The exhibition brought together a vast range of materials representing Stow’s life and the period in which it was produced – from his drawings and paintings; his letters, documents, and poems; to his maps, and field diaries.

The display shows one map in particular which is kept as part of the National Library of South Africa collections, and was drawn by Stow during the period he was conducting geological surveys of the country surrounding the diamond fields of Kimberley, down to the junction of the Orange and Vaal rivers and beyond. It shows amongst other things, the diamondiferous deposits of the Vaal river during the late 19th century and, as part of this section of the exhibition which focused on Stow the geologist, Skotnes displayed it alongside relevant disciplinary materials she sourced from the Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town.

Is Part Of

The Centre for Curating the Archive
Geological Sciences

Source

Skotnes, P & Stow, G.2008. Unconquerable Spirit: George Stow’s History Paintings of the San . Johannesburg, South Africa: Jacana. 40 - 41.

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Sheet No 11 Bibliographic Resource