A CURIOUS LIFE: ADA BLACKJACK (1898–1983)
History is full of stories about hardy frontiersmen who, finding themselves
stranded in one unforgiving wasteland or another, manage to survive on sheer
grit. Less common are castaway stories about women – particularly ones
possessing no hunting skills and a paralysing fear of polar bears. Ada Blackjack,
an Iñupiat woman born in Alaska in 1898, is a notable exception. In 1921,
Blackjack responded to a newspaper ad requesting a “cook and a seamstress” to
join an expedition of four explorers as they crossed the Chukchi Sea and claimed
Russia’s uninhabited Wrangel Island for the Brits. If the trip over was perilous, the
destination was no better. Unable to kill enough game to survive, the team became
desperate, and three of the men attempted to retreat to nearby Siberia. Blackjack,
meanwhile, remained behind to nurse the ailing American, Lorne Knight, until he
eventually died. The other three men were never seen again. Her companions gone
(with the exception of a cat named Vic), Blackjack pushed onward, teaching herself
to bait and set traps, which she used to capture small foxes. The 23-year-old
quickly adapted to the Arctic solitude and eked out an existence in the snow for
two years before she was rescued. Following her victorious return to civilisation,
the newspapers dubbed her “the female Robinson Crusoe”. Others made a pretty
penny from telling her remarkable tale of survival – but Blackjack, unimpressed by
the media circus, never earned a cent for her experience. True grit, indeed. BHBOOKED OUT
The first book published in Australia was a
list of orders issued in the Colony of NSW in
- It was, by all accounts, a fairly dry read.
The industry has come a long way since then.
Take Hardie Grant: it’s only been in the game
for 20 years, but every title it’s published has
been monumentally more readable than the
country’s first. As they’re generous sorts, they’re
offering up a bundle of books for one lucky
Smith reader. Check out our blog for the full
list of titles, and head to smithjournal.com.au/
giveaways to enter. SJ
D.I.Y. DARKROOM
Using an analogue camera is one thing.
But if you really want to score those olde
worlde authenticity points, you can’t
go past developing your own negatives.
Previously, those without dedicated
darkrooms had to resort to fumbling
around with sacks full of processing
chemicals – a clumsy, anxiety-inducing
process that often resulted in botched
photos. Those days might finally be over.
The Lab-Box takes the hassle and terror
out of the process, allowing you to unspool
and develop film in one tiny, portable
container. The only thing easier would be
switching to digital, but then there’d go
your bragging rights. ars-imago.com BMTRUE COLOURS
A quick fact-check: real dinosaurs
probably looked nothing like the
one on this spiffy T-shirt. Scientists
now think the giant lizards had
feathers, so an accurate garment
should sport something more
bird-like. But Aussie designer Paul
Smith got at least one thing right
with his print: according to the
latest evidence, dino feathers were
probably iridescent, meaning they
shone rainbow like an oil slick. And
thanks to this fluoro-coloured tee,
you can too. incu.com RT