Androssan and Riverhouse galleries collection

This item contains material relating to the history of Androssan Hall including:

• photocopies of records recording the sale of the site Androssan Hall currently stands on to James Cowlishaw and later William Johnson.
• a history of the Cobb & Co coach company titled 'The story of Cobb & Co' by Roger Fair F.R.G.S. and a council member of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland. A version of this history was published in ABC Weekly, Vol 16. No 28, 10 July 1954, and later in The Telegraph (newspaper) in 1955.
• correspondence between Mrs Susan Dickson and Roger Fair wherein Susan reminisces about life in the Mungana area, 50 miles from Queensland Copper Mines, west of Cairns, an area Cobb & Co. operated.
• a history of Androssan Hall detailing its design and name changes up to 1976. 

Androssan Hall is located at 33 Brookes Street, Bowen Hills, Brisbane. The site was owned by Thomas Langtry before being bought by James Cowlishaw, architect and founder of the Brisbane Gas Company, about 1876. The land was then bought by William Johnson in the late 1880s. William built the building later known as Androssan Hall in the 1890s. The building was initially named 'Goodra' and was used as a drapery. It was later named 'Exhibition flats' then 'Androssan Hall'. By 1997, the building was known as 'RGM House'. The building had many different owners and purposes over time including being a staging post of the Cobb & Co coach company.

The letter from Mrs Susan Dickson to The Telegraph (newspaper) was in response to an article printed in the 14 June 1955 issue about Cobb & Co coaches. Susan lived in the area and mentions how the mine was sued for not producing enough copper. Susan's husband worked with Herby Apelson at the bakery and drink factory. Apelson later took over the Orchards Hotel. Susan and her family left when the mine shut down taking only their personal belongings.

This item contains professional papers associated mainly with Androssan Gallery:

• business cards.
• letter confirming the lease of the gallery space to Janice Fay Jorgensen and Martin Jorgensen, 1984.
• plans detailing the layout of the gallery space.
• certificate registering 'Androssen Gallery' as a business name.
• letter and newspaper clipping about exhibitions at Androssan Gallery, including notes about the last exhibition held at the gallery.
• photographs of the exterior of Androssan Hall as well as in interior shot of artworks on display in the Australian Wildlife Room.
• certificate presented to Androssan Gallery for outstanding service to Queensland Day, undated.
• letters regarding the closing of the Androssan Gallery and the opening of Riverhouse Galleries.

Material includes letters, certificates, newspaper clippings (original and photocopies), notes and photographs.

Photographs of the exterior of Androssan Hall and the interior shot of artworks on display in the Australian Wildlife Room were taken by Martin Jorgensen.

Androssen Gallery was located on the second floor of Androssan Hall, 33 Brookes Street, Bowen Hills, Brisbane. A restaurant was located beneath.  The gallery operated from December 1984 until December 1990 and featured an Australian Wildlife Room containing artworks of birds and animals. Following the closure of Androssan Gallery, Jan and Martin Jorgensen opened Riverhouse Galleries located on corner of Brunswick Street and Oxlade Drive, New Farm.

This item mainly contains photographs taken by Martin Jorgensen.

These are mainly of artworks by artist Vincent Brown. Also included are photographs of Vincent Brown with his artwork and a portrait of Vincent with his wife Dorothy.

There are also a small number of photographs of other artist's work, including artists Wilson Cooper, Vida Lahey MBE, James William Laing, B. E. (Benjamin Edwin) Minns, Arthur Murch, Lloyd Rees AC CMG, Henry Reilly and William Robinson AO.  Also included is a photograph of John Rigby and his son with one of his artworks.

Most of the photographs contain captions with varied information such as: artist; title; dates of creation, exhibition or sale; and selling price.

This item contains a small amount of ephemera (including mock-ups) about exhibitions held at Androssan Gallery and Riverhouse Galleries. This includes ephemera for solo exhibitions for artists Cynthia Breusch, Ken Gailer and Andrew Sibley.

The material was collected, by Jan and Martin Jorgensen, directors of Androssan and Riverhouse galleries.

This item contains a scrapbook beginning with exterior views of Androssan Hall. This is followed by material associated with exhibitions at Androssan Gallery in chronological order. The exhibitions were predominately solo exhibitions and includes material such as ephemera, short biographical summaries for artists, as well as photographs of artists and/or their artwork.

Artists featured with solo exhibitions include Robert Allen, Ray Benton, Cynthis Breusch, Heeyoung Chung, Ken Gailer, Aubrey Gibbs, Don Hamilton, Kricker, Brian Merriman, John Milenkovic, Don Mineall, Ellie Neilsen, Gillian Scott, Roger Simpson, Kate Smith, Bogden Stodulny and Mel Wilkinson.

The material was compiled by Jan and Martin Jorgensen, directors of Androssan and Riverhouse galleries.

This item contains newspaper clippings of exhibitions at Androssan Gallery including:

• clippings from newspapers and the Cultural Diary mainly of exhibition reviews.
• exhibition ephemera, exhibition price lists.

The material was compiled by Jan and Martin Jorgensen, directors of Androssan and Riverhouse galleries.

This file contains an artist file for Vincent Brown containing:

• correspondence and ephemera (some mock-ups) for exhibitions at the Androssan Gallery, Riverhouse Galleries and other galleries.
• ephemera and photocopied images for Vincent Brown's book 'Vincent Brown : life and work'.
• original artworks by Vincent Brown titled 'Costly thy habit as thy purse can bury' and 'Promenade'.
• material associated with Vincent Brown's role in designing sets and costumes for theatre productions, includes a mock-up and an annotated photograph from a newspaper clipping.
• newspaper clippings (mostly photocopied) about exhibitions. 
• ephemera for the exhibition 'Staged : the art of Vincent Brown' held in 2004.
• photographs including a portrait of Vincent Brown with his wife Dorothy.

This file contains an artist file for Christopher McLeod containing:

• biographical material.
• ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings (some photocopied) associated with exhibitions at the Androssan and Riverhouse galleries such as 'Intimacies', 'The Immigrants', and 'Lovers'.
• a small amount of material about more recent exhibitions at CWM galleries.
• a Christmas card from Sudarat and Christopher.

This file contains an artist file for Brian Merriman containing ephemera and photographs associated with the exhibition 'Brian Merriman' held at Androssan Gallery in 1986.