Norris, Robert Provo, d. 1851

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Watercolor sketch of a dusty lowland in foreground with brushy hill rising to a slightly rocky peak in the background. A dirt path appears to wind up towards the peak. The title is not completely legible, but indicates that this image is of a location in the Tabendodo Mountains (a name which seems to have become obsolete).

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An African woman is seen from behind in this apparently incomplete sketch. She bears three baskets on her head and carries a fourth basket in her hand. She wears some kind of band-like top, with a wrapped long skirt. Her feet are bare and she wears bracelets on her wrists. A palm tree is sketched loosely at left. Unlabeled.

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Watercolor sketch showing an encampment of Xhosa/"Kaffir" warriors in foreground, with the British Fort White seen in the middle-distance in a grassy valley floor. The warriors, who appear to be naked, hold rifles and are clustered in small groups here and there on a flat dusty area. There are no British troops seen in this image, done presumably sometime after the attack. Labeled in graphite on reverse. Unsigned.

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Watercolor view of brushy, grassy, hills and purplish mountains in distance. A few buildings appear at the right.

On the reverse is an image of the Zander End river/mountains that feature a few times in Norris's paintings. Neither image is complete. Unsigned/unlabeled.

Scope and Contents: Watercolor portrait, full-length, of an African man with a moustache wearing a British or European military costume. He has a billed cap (with initials "C.M.R." for "Cape Mounted Rifles" embroidered or stamped on it) and a tight, high-collared, jacket, both in dark blue, and beige trousers. He also wears black leather boots. He stands with arms crossed, looking sideways at the viewer. A metal sword is slung at his waist. In graphite are sketched mounted military men, at considerable distance...

Scope and Contents: Small watercolor sketch of Cape Town, done with fine attention to detail. Scene shows two people standing at some distance from foreground, under a group of cypress trees. They look down through hills on either side to the town at the base, on the shore. Mountains are shown on the distant coast. Labeled in graphite.On reverse is a rough graphite/sepia wash sketch of an African man wearing a pointed straw sunhat. Written in graphite is the name, "Henry de ___," along with other...

Scope and Contents: Watercolor image of a castle seen by night. It rises on a rocky shoreline, with water seen at the right and beyond it. The viewer is situated behind the building, with some low-lying rocks in the foreground. Unlabeled.On the reverse is a view of grassy and bush-covered hills, with low stone buildings, sketched in graphite, seen in the distance. This image is incomplete. Labeled in graphite, "Near KW [?] Town," likely meaning that this was a view of the area near King William's...

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Watercolor of a Victorian style stone church with an arched Gothic glass window at front and narrow arched windows. Two figures sit on a rock in the foreground, before a small pool of water. Other buildings lie to the side of the church and an imposing blue mountain range rises in the distance. Labeled on reverse, "Sept. 10th/50."

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Watercolor sketch of a mutli-storey stone fort sitting on a rocky coastline. The fort is seen at some distance, with the beach, a rocky formation, and the water in the foreground. Unlabeled.

On the reverse is a watercolor and graphite sketch (incomplete) of wooden cabins. They appear to be part of some kind of settlement or military post. Trees are sketched in around the two cabins visible here. Unlabeled.

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Graphite sketch, somewhat incomplete, of tall brushy mountains, whose tops are obscured by clouds, towering over a coastal settlement. A few ships can be seen in the water. Unlabeled.

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A fine watercolor showing a man in a blue jacket, beige pants, and pointed straw hat sitting on a stone block under a small grove of cypress trees. Beyond this area, which appears to be a fenced park, a stone tower rises in the center distance. Unlabeled.

Scope and Contents: Holograph diary, including personal accounts of Norris' daily activities and observation of life in South Africa.Several pages at various intervals appear to have been torn out of the diary. It is not clear whether they contained any portion of text.The fly-leaf features a pen and ink drawing of a barking dog, along with Norris's name and regiment. It is dated August 22, 1846. "Cork Barracks" is listed as the location. Four graphite sketches, including one labeled...

Scope and Contents: Holograph diary, including an alphabetical roll of British squads, personal entries and notes about Norris' debts and expenditures, some graphite sketches, and one pen and ink sketch.The diary's fly-leaf has pen and ink drawing of a barking dog and the inscription "R.P. Norris." It contains various types of entries, the first being an alphabetical roll of "No. 2 Squad of 'B' or Captain E. Staunton's Company, 22nd Sept. 1847." Soldiers' vital statistics (age, height, marital...

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Portrait of "Eno: A Kaffir Chief," showing a middle-aged African man with a leopard-skin cape draped around his shoulders. He wears a black beaded necklace and earring. His hair is cropped short. It is unclear how Norris came to paint this portrait--whether Eno was a prisoner of the British regiment or had some kind of pact of non-aggression with colonial forces.

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Includes another unsigned and undated note, in a different hand, indicating that the manuscripts originally stored in the envelope (items 3a(2-7) in the present collection) should be saved for future generations.

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Watercolor depiction of a low stone fort with wooden gates. A British flag flies from the flagpole at center. A sentry in a red coat stands guard at right. Brushy hills and purple mountains rise in the distance. Labeled "Fort Cox" on reverse in graphite.

Scope and Contents: Inscribed: "R.P. Norris." A piece of paper has been pasted onto the inside cover, with a note in ink reading, "Robert Provo Norris/Killed in Action 1851/ (Kaffir War)." Many of the sketches are dated 1848, which suggests that most of the content dates to this year.Multiple sketches appear within the volume, including watercolor landscapes and graphite portraits. Norris depicts "Simon's Town, from the North Battery" in a particularly striking graphite landscape. He sketches a map...

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Graphite sketch of a jockey or rider in a lightweight cap and riding clothes astride a horse who leaps or gallops forward. A dog is shown running alongside the horse, although the dog has been sketched over with shading/cross-hatching. The image is initialed "RN." It likely represents a scene from one of the many horse races that Norris seemed fond of attending while in the Cape Town area.

Scope and Contents: Watercolor portrait of three Xhosa/"Kaffir" tribespeople. A man stands holding a long wooden implement, keeping his hands and body wrapped in a beige colored cloak. A woman with a beaded or colorful band around her breast, beige skirt, and golden bangles stands holding a small wooden or woven bowl. Another woman kneels in the foreground holding a bushel of reeds. She has an infant strapped to her back. It is not known whether the three subjects posed for this portrait or were observed from a...

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Watercolor sketch showing a large stone building from a distance. In the foreground, a river or stream curves to the left. Large square rocks appear on one bank and a gnarled tree sits on the opposite bank at right. Brush covers the flats and hills surrounding the river and large blue mountains can be seen in the distance beyond the valley in which the building sits. Unsigned and unidentified.