SIR ABE BAILEY: A BIOGRAPHY
Katherine Steinke, masters student, History Department, Stellenbosch University
Thursday 18 January 3.00 pm COURSE FEES R11O; Staff and students R55
Sir Abe Bailey was a South African businessman, politician, sportsman and soldier. He was a pioneer in the goldrush era in the Transvaal in the 1880s, and he was active in all spheres of South African life until his death in 1940. His influence was widespread, and can still be felt today through the Abe Bailey Trust, and through the Bailey bequest hanging in the Iziko National Gallery. This course will give an informative and engaging narrative of his life, which covers his origins as an immigrant’s son in Cradock, to his rise as a millionaire in Johannesburg. It will also cover his dubious legacy as an imperialist, in the days when South Africa was in the clutches of the British Empire, and how his ideology shaped the country of his birth.
Recommended reading
Murray, B. 2008. ‘Abe Bailey and the Foundation of the Imperial Cricket Conference’, South African Historical Journal. 60:3, pp. 375–396.
Sayer, H. 1974. Sir Abe Bailey: His Life and Achievements. History Department, University of Cape Town. Wheatcroft, G. 1985. Randlords. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Tietze, A. ‘Artistically or Historically Important? The Reception of the Abe Bailey Sporting Art Collection in South Africa.’ Journal of the History of Collections 23, no. 1 (2011): pp. 165–77.
TO BOOK:
https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1534477408