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Fantastic bit of detective work, Everhard.

Your discovery led me to wonder why Vicky Heunis hadn't listed J.T. Bain in her section devoted to known artists at Diyatalawa. The answer, it seems, lies in the fact that Vicky records Bain as a dealer rather than a craftsman. She goes on to describe how he educated the men to produce better quality work by offereing them higher prices if they refined their output.

To recognise the difference between good and mediocre workmanship, I imagine Bain must have been a craftsman himself. What is not entirely clear is whether the "J.T.B." on the paper knives is a maker’s mark or a retailer’s mark.


Krygsgevangenekuns in die Anglo-Boereoorlog was only published in Afrikaans:

pp. 136-137
Op Ceylon het handelaars handwerk opgekoop om daarin handel te dryf en 'n kompeterende mark te probeer skep. Een van die opkopers was J.T Bain, wat met sy internasionale kontakte krygsgevangenehandwerk oral heen kon stuur en dit teen 'n goeie wins aan simpatiseerders kon verkoop. Hy het dan ook in De Krijgsgevangene van Ceylon sowel as De Strever geadverteer dat enige balling of besoeker aan die kamp wat in krygsgevangenekuns belangstel, hom in hut 28 moes besoek of aan hom skryf. Nadat die nuus van vrede die ballinge bereik het, het Bain op 5 Junie 1902 in De Krijgsgevangene van Ceylon 'n versoek gerig dat alle gelde wat aan hom verskuldig is, so spoedig moontlik betaal moes word.

p. 65
Die verbetering was grootliks te danke aan kompetisie vanweë kopers wat in krygsgevangenekuns handel gedryf het. So het J.T. Bain, wat in die Diyatalawa-kamp was, die bannelinge se werk krities beoordeel en in 'n sekere mate ook opvoedend opgetree. Bain het foute in die bewerking van die krygsgevangenekuns uitgewys en beter pryse beloof as dié foute vermy kon word. Bannelinge het so 'n bietjie selfkritiek aangeleer en die neiging afgeleer om alte gou met hul eie werk tevrede te wees. Winsmotief het ook 'n beduidende rol gespeel en die krygsgevangenes gemotiveer om tyd en aandag aan die gehalte van hul handwerk te gee aangesien beter vervaardigde voorwerpe hoer pryse behaal het.




Google Translate (better translations welcome):

pp. 136-137
In Ceylon, traders bought up handicrafts to trade in and try to create a competitive market. One of the buyers was J.T. Bain, who, with his international contacts, was able to send prisoner-of-war handicrafts anywhere and sell them to sympathizers at a good profit. He therefore advertised in De Krijgsgevangene of Ceylon as well as De Strever that any exile or visitor to the camp interested in prisoner-of-war art should visit him in hut 28 or write to him. After the news of peace had reached the exiles, Bain made a request in De Krijgsgevangene of Ceylon on 5 June 1902 that all money owed to him should be paid as soon as possible.

p. 65
The improvement [in the quality of the work] was largely due to competition from buyers who traded in prisoner-of-war art. Thus J.T. Bain, who was in the Diyatalawa camp, critically assessed the work of the exiles and to a certain extent also acted as an educator. Bain pointed out imperfections in the creation of the POW art and promised better prices if these errors could be avoided. In this way, exiles learned a little self-criticism and unlearned the tendency to be satisfied with their own work too quickly. The profit motive also played a significant role and motivated the POWs to devote time and attention to the quality of their craft, since better-made objects fetched higher prices.


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Vicky Heunis has sent me this link which discusses the use of the terms "paper-knife" and "page turner" when describing these pieces. It is clear from the article that there was no such thing as a "page turner" during the Victorian period. It is uncertain where the term came from, but many dealers and auction houses have described them as such since at least the 1970s. During the nineteenth century these items were advertised as paper-knives and, as Everhard pointed out in his first post, were primarily used to open the un-cut pages of new books.

The Mystery of the Phantom Page Turner










As discussed earlier, Boer paper-knives were made from various woods, cow bone and cow horn. Below are a couple of examples from Ceylon, with polished bone blades and ebony grips. Both 185mm long.















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Neville_C wrote: Everhard,

I had come to the same conclusion before you added your postscript: R war R = Royal Warwickshire Regiment. However, none of the RWR battalions were stationed in Ceylon during the ABW. In 1901 the 2nd Battalion was sent to Bermuda to guard Boer POWs there.
And, like you, I can't find an obvious contender for "Sgt J.C. Oliver". Very puzzling.

There was this in the Morning Leader of Friday 2 February 1900, page 7 ('Image/article reproduced with kind permission of the British Newspaper Archive.'Content provided by THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED).

Owen

This short reference appeared in the Shepton Mallet Journal of 18 May 1900, but I cannot find anything that corroborates the statement that the Warwicks were to act as guards.

Here is a similar example, carved by a POW for 4132 Private Alfred Steff, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He was stationed at Diyatalawa from 22/12/1900 to 27/11/1902. Inscribed: "to Miss Florence Sinclair from Pte. Alf. Steff / Boer Camp". Again, the lettering retains much of its gold infill.

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And this:

Kidderminster Times and Advertiser for Bewdley & Stourport - Saturday 1 November 1902, page 2 ('Image/article reproduced with kind permission of the British Newspaper Archive. Content provided by THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED).

“A quiet but pretty wedding took place on Wednesday, September 24th (1902), at St Philip Neri’s Church, Pattah, Ceylon, the contracting parties being Sergeant G. N. Chapman, of the 1st Gloucester Regiment . . . and Miss Elizabeth Cooper, daughter of Corporal Cooper, of the 1st Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, at present stationed at Diyatalawa, Ceylon. The service . . . was attended by a large gathering of the military of the station . . . Dancing was started and kept up till the early hours of the next morning. Sergeant Oliver, of the Warwickshire Regiment, and Sergeant Hasler, R.A.M.C., contributed several dusts on the banjo . . .”

Owen

Thank you Owen,

I had seen both of these reports (the full text of the piece about the wedding can be seen HERE).

Captain Toogood was seconded from the Warwicks to the Ceylon Mounted Infantry, and the Morning Leader report refers to the deaprture of that contingent from Colombo, Ceylon, for South Africa. There are earlier reports of Toogood leaving Madras, India, to join the Ceylon M.I. at Colombo. He was therefore not involverd with the guarding of the Boer prisoners.

I'm still not sure why a single sergeant of the Warwicks was posted to Diyatalawa. Perhaps a very small detachment of the 1st battalion was sent over from Madras in May 1900 to help prepare the camps.

Neville





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Everhard,

Having had a look through my database, I now find I have two other pieces with J.T. Bain's initials on them: a rather crudely made vesta case and a finely carved model of a Mauser carbine, both in ebony.

Two things strike me here. Firstly, it is difficult to imagine that both of these items were made by the same individual, as the craftsmanship displayed in one is far superior to that in the other. And secondly, the position of the "J.T.B.", hidden away on the base of the vesta case and the butt-plate of the carbine, suggests to me that this is more likely a dealer's mark than an artist's signature. It is also noteworthy that the font of the main inscriptions on the top surfaces of both pieces is strikingly similar. Could it be that Bain took in unmarked carvings, and inscribed them himself before offering them for sale? This could explain why "MOD MAUSER" looks to be in a different hand to the remainder of the text on the carbine. The fact that the initials on the Mauser are quite different to those seen on J.T.B. paper-knives and the matchbox might even suggest that Bain employed a number of artisans to inscribe his merchandise for him.

Note the monogram, J.R.B., crudely inscribed on the vesta case.





A very simply made ebony vesta case, inscribed "BOER CAMP / CEYLON 1901", with the initials "J.T.B" (for James Thompson Bain) on the base.







Finely carved ebony Mauser carbine, inscribed "BOER CAMP / CEYLON 1901 / MOD MAUSER", with the initials "J.T.B" (for James Thompson Bain) on the butt plate. Hidden from view, this model has a working bolt. 240 mm long.

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