Vogan, Arthur James   (1859 - 1948)

Arthur Vogan, a New Zealand artist, photographer, journalist and taxidermist, travelled extensively in the Pacific in the late 19th century. In 1895 he joined a New Guinea exploration mounted by the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. In 1911 he was a member of the Association for the Protection of the Native Races of Australasia and Polynesia.

He was author of The Black Police in 1889,
Its main purpose is to 'portray the treatment of the blacks by the whites in the early squatting days of Queensland; and its revelations are asserted to be mainly the outcome of the author's personal observation and experiences in that colony'.
He later studied aboriginal rock carvings in Australia and various Pacific Islands.

In 1889 the Australian Museum bought the Arthur Vogan collection of 55 Pacific island artefacts. Most were body accessories and stone tools from the Solomon Islands and New Zealand. In 1923 Mr Vogan sold the museum 61 artefacts from New Caledonia.

An article in The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, Sat 28 Aug 1897, Page 445, headed: 'Mr. A. J. Vogan', includes:

"...is at present in Sydney on business in connection with a light tramway for the Hot Lake districts of New Zealand.

Besides being one of the best known special journalists in Australia (having acted as artist-correspondent here for the 'Illustrated London News' for some years, as well as doing similar work for numerous colonial newspapers), Mr. Vogan has made a name for himself as an explorer in New Guinea and Central Australia...

This gentleman's latest geographical work has been the large coloured map of the Coolgardie goldfields (where Mr. Vogan spent over two years), published last year by Messrs. G. Robertson and Co.

Mr. Vogan commenced his press-life in 1885 in the columns of this paper, numerous sketches and descriptive letterpress illustrative of explorations he was engaged in in New Guinea on behalf of the R.G.S. of Australasia being published by the 'Sydney Mail'.

The followiug year the subject of this sketch was fortunate enough (from a pressman's point of view) in being present in New Zealand during the great volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera.
He was probably the first person to reach the affected district from Auckland, and formed one of the rescue party who saved numerous lives by unearthing those unfortunates whom the heavy falls of mud and volcanic ejecta had buried in their homes.
His sketches made at this time were the first to reach London, and led to his engagement by our great London contemporary, already referred to, and to his services being utilised for the illustrating of a book published by the 'Auckland Star'.

Since then Mr. Vogan has thrice traversed this continent, besides having professionally visited most of the principal mining centres..."

Source: Extracted from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_Exploration_Expedition_(1885)
https://researchdata.edu.au/arthur-james-vogan-19th-century/935462
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Dictionary_of_Australasian_Biography/Vogan,_Arthur_James
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/163795029
Portrait Photo: The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, Sat 28 Aug 1897, Page 445

Collecting localities for 'Vogan, A.J.' from AVH (2024)

Data from 118 specimens