Jens Hansen Lundager (4 May 1853 – 7 March 1930) was a Danish-born Australian photographer, newspaper editor and politician.
Early life Lundager was born, along with a twin sister, in Vejlby, Denmark on 4 May 1853 to Hans Jensen Hansen and Else AndersDatte Hansen.Jens Hansen Lundager (1853–1930) – Photographer, Newspaper Editor and Politician, Danes in Australia website. Retrieved 7 April 2017. At birth, he was named Jens Larsen Hansen. It was not until after he emigrated to Australia that he changed his surname to Lundager, which is believed to have been the name of his mother's home village.
He grew up in Bogense. Lundager's mother died when he was eleven, forcing him to find work as a servant before eventually relocating to Odense where he learnt pottery.
Lundager contracted tuberculosis leaving him unable to work for two years. When he was ready to work again, he had to find less physically challenging work, and therefore entered the field of photography, establishing his own photography business in Fredericia. However, Lundager still struggled to recover, prompting his doctor to suggest that he consider seeking a warmer climate. Lundager decided to emigrate to Australia.
Arrival in Australia Lundager made the journey from Hamburg to Rockhampton aboard the immigrant ship Charles Dickens, arriving in Keppel Bay on 26 February 1879.Queensland State Archives; Registers of Immigrant Ships' Arrivals; Series: Series ID 13086; Roll: M1698. Retrieved 7 April 2017. Lundager was among 208 Danes who arrived in Rockhampton on the ship.The Immigrants by the ship Charles Dickens..., The Morning Bulletin, 3 March 1879. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017. Seven people, including two children, had died during the journey and four babies were born between Hamburg and Rockhampton.
It was claimed that a number of passengers had arrived in Rockhampton under the impression that they would be entitled to receive a land order, enabling them to settle on and cultivate a parcel of land. This was despite the land order system being abolished several years earlier.Editorial, The Morning Bulletin, 4 March 1879. Retrieved (via NLA) 6 April 2017.
There was also criticism of the timing of Charles Dickens''' arrival due to the fact that passengers aboard a previous immigrant ship, The Carnatic had "gutted" the local labour market, which many believed would make it particularly difficult for the immigrants from the Charles Dickens to find work.The Week, The Morning Bulletin, 1 March 1879. Retrieved (via NLA) 6 April 2017.
After his arrival in Rockhampton, Lundager undertook some photography work but briefly went to the goldfields at Temora in the Riverina district of New South Wales. Upon his return to Rockhampton, he took over a photographic studio originally established by French photographer Louis Buderus. who moved to Clermont, Queensland to open a photographic studio there in 1884.Biography: Louis Buderus, Design & Art Australia Online website. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
Personal life After settling in Rockhampton, Lundager married Mathilde Helene in 1882 and was naturalised as an Australian in 1883. Lundager and his wife had seven children: Else Johanna, Marie Chrestine, Henry Walter, Hulda Hellene, Mary Christina, Alma May and Dagmar Mathilde. Two of their children, Marie and Henry, both died from diphtheria in 1890.
Photography Lundager soon became well known in the local area for his high quality photography. The Mount Morgan Mine commissioned Lundager to take portraits of mine owners, managers, guests, mine workers and of the actual mine operations at Mount Morgan.
In 1885, the Queensland Government commissioned Lundager to create an album for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 in London, for which he received praise and a bronze medal.Jens Hansen Lundager, Queensland, History of World Photography], Weebly. Retrieved 7 April 2017. His work was praised in London's Photographic News magazine, which described a contemporaneous South Australian work as dull, with the "dullness" more noticeable against the works of Lundager. According to the magazine, Lundager had succeeded in his works of the Mount Morgan Mine, obtaining a quality inseparable from good landscape work. The publication pondered if Queensland was more suitable for photography than South Australia or whether the difference was due to the photographer who created the work.Photographic News, The Morning Bulletin, 12 November 1886. Retrieved (via National Library of Australia) 7 April 2017.
In 1889, the Rockhampton Reception Committee presented an album of Lundager's works were to visiting Irish MP and Home Rule advocate John Dillon.John Dillon Presentation Album, 1887–1888, J. H. Lundager, Rockhampton Reception Committee, Accessed (via SLQ) 7 April 2017. Dillon was on an Australian fundraising tour for the Irish National Movement and gave lectures at the Hibernian Hall in RockhamptonJohn Dillon in Rockhampton: An Enthusiastic Gathering, The Daily Northern Argus, 12 June 1889. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017. and at the Mount Morgan School of Arts.Mr Dillon at Mount Morgan, The Morning Bulletin, 14 June 1889. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.
Throughout his busy public life, Lundager continued his passion for photography and in 1911, released Central Queensland Illustrated, a compilation of photos he had taken in Central Queensland as a tribute and record to commemorate the region's 50th anniversary.Central Queensland Illustrated, J. H. Lundager, 1911. Accessed (via SLV) 7 April 2017.
Studio fire In early November 1889, Lundager's shop in Rockhampton's East Street was destroyed in an overnight blaze. Although some equipment including a camera and some photographs were saved, many valuable photos and negatives were destroyed in the fire.Fire in East Street, The Morning Bulletin, 5 November 1889. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.Another Destructive Fire: Mr Lundager's Studio Burnt, The Daily Northern Argus, 5 November 1889. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.Fire At Rockhampton, The Brisbane Courier, 6 November 1889. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.
After the fire, Lundager made the decision to permanently take up residence in Mount Morgan, 25 miles from Rockhampton.
Relocation After relocating to Mount Morgan, Lundager again established a photographic business. He also became a bookseller and stationery agent to supplement his income.
He was a foundation member of the Mount Morgan Masonic Lodge in 1888 and its long-term treasurer.
In 1905, Lundager was unanimously elected mayor at the Mount Morgan Town Council.Mount Morgan Council, The Morning Bulletin, 9 February 1905. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017. Before being officially elected as mayor, Lundager was already an alderman with the council and was serving as acting mayor. Lundager was again elected mayor of Mount Morgan Town Council in 1906.Mount Morgan Council: Election of Mayor; Alderman Lundager Re-Elected, The Morning Bulletin, 7 February 1906. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.
His interest in politics also extended to a Federal level. Lundager was a candidate for a seat in the Australian Senate at the 1906 federal electionLetter from Candidate Lundager, The Worker, 29 September 1906. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017. winning over 47,000 votes.Mount Morgan: Mr. J. H. Lundager, The Morning Bulletin, 12 January 1912. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.
Throughout his time in Mount Morgan, Lundager was involved in the Mount Morgan Progress Association, the Mount Morgan School of Arts, the Mount Morgan Hospital Committee, the Mount Morgan Technical College, the Mount Morgan Boys' School Committee, the Mount Morgan Girls' School Committee, the Penny Savings Bank, the Gordon Club, the Mount Morgan Licensing Bench, the Mount Morgan Masonic Lodge, the Workers' Political Organisation and the Australian Workers' Association.
Additionally, he was editor and part-proprietor of the local newspaper Mount Morgan Argus for six years – a version of which is still being published today.Mount Morgan Argus website . Retrieved 7 April 2017. He was also vocal proponent for the Dawson Valley railway line.
Following declining health including the re-emergence of tuberculosis, Lundager began to withdraw from his various public and political interests in Mount Morgan in 1912, following advice from doctors. In an article published in The Morning Bulletin, the writer inferred that Lundager's health was inevitably going to suffer due to the strenuous life he had led for many years, without taking a break.
In 1919, Lundager made the decision to leave Mount Morgan and relocate to SydneyDeparture of Mr. J. H. Lundager, The Capricornian, 13 December 1919. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017. but not before his shop in Mount Morgan was ransacked in 1916 when thieves gained access to the premises through an unlocked window to steal various items, although they overlooked a number of valuable possessions during the break-in.Thefts from Mr. Landager's Shop, The Morning Bulletin, 4 July 1916. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.
Death Lundager died at his home in Chatswood, New South Wales on 7 March 1930 at the age of 76.Obituary: Mr. J. H. Lundager, The Morning Bulletin, 12 March 1930. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017. He is buried at the Methodist Cemetery in North Sydney.Photo: Jens Hansen Lundager, Vintage Queensland Facebook page, 29 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
Legacy Lundager's photographic work is still regularly used to illustrate the various developments, events and people of Central Queensland of the late 19th century and the early 20th century.Pictures, Photos, Objects created by Jens Hansen Lundager, Rockhampton, National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 April 2017.These Were Mt. Morgan's Yesterdays, The Morning Bulletin, 7 June 1950. Retrieved (via NLA) 7 April 2017.Blacks' Camp near Mt. Morgan, J. H. Lundager, Photo: Mt. Morgan (Series 4), Central Queensland Old Pics and Yarns Facebook page, 29 July 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2017.Photo: Moore's Creek, Rockhampton (1890), Offset photo-lithograph (postcard), J. H. Lundager, Gift of Ross Searle (2009), Rockhampton Art Gallery Facebook page, 3 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.All photos tagged 'Jens Hansen Lundager', Flickr website. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
Lundager was also the subject of a 1992 Journal of Australian studies article by Grahame Griffin, entitled J. H. Lundager, Mount Morgan politician and photographer: company hack or subtle subversive?''Griffin, G 1992, 'J.H. Lundager, Mount Morgan politician and photographer: company hack or subtle subversive?', Central Queensland University Institutional Repository, Journal of Australian Studies, vol 16, no 34, pp.15–31
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