How do you do? Nutrition and appearance.
(eGGSA Facebook posting by Fleur Way-Jones, 1820 Settlers Association Genealogist)

An economic historian asked me how he could gauge the nutrition of the 19th Century South African. What records were there that could be quantified? People’s heights or weights? We say we have grown taller but how can we prove this? The doorways of houses were low but does that prove ancestors were shorter. The uniforms of soldiers in some cases would fit a young boy today. We say that produce is readily available but has nutrition improved? The Gaol returns give some indication of the nutrition available to prisoners eg in the Grahamstown Gaol, the allocation for males (who did heavy labour) was a pound of meat and bread and less for female prisoners. Historical archaeologists find indications of nutrition in dumpsites or middens.

The only full physical descriptions are in the army records. Certainly the appearance of a British soldier at the Cape was made public when he deserted the army. If he had deserted more than once, he was branded with a “D” on the left cheek. The Cape Government Gazette lists many deserters. The descriptions include the height, complexion, hair and eye colours and any other distinguishing features.

Pondering this question further, I wondered about historical details of people’s appearance we have. How do we know what Dr William Guybon Atherstone looked like? A number of representations show Dr Atherstone bearded or white haired: black and white photographs, portraits and later a bronze sculpture by Ivan Mitford Barberton executed in the 1970s. In the case of ordinary people, a photograph is the best we can hope for; portraits were for important people. The artist Frederick Timpson I’Ons painted whoever could pay for his or her portrait. Extraordinary details tended to attract attention and were noted: the contractor George Pauling had extraordinary strength being able to lift a horse as a “party trick”; Mr Amos frightened the invading Xhosa with his black beard and sword (according to an account by Willmore) and Thomas Baines, the artist, was nicknamed “Hairy Baines”.

Earlier doctors’ records would contain records of patients and in the case of some burial records, the priest bluntly stated the cause of death eg “Mr Smith was an inveterate unrepentant alcoholic”. Once the Death Certificates were a legal requirement then the cause of death is verified by a doctor. Child diseases and chronic complaints could be studied through these public records and be indicators of health. Slave records give an indication of the well being of the person because slaves were regarded as a commodity. In documents dated 1834-5 (for those hoping for compensation after the Emancipation of Slaves in 1834) the slaves of John Norton and Benjamin Norden are described. John Norton owned three female and two male slaves (Opgaaf Roll of 1822 John Norton employed two male Hottentots over 16 years and one female Hottentot over 16 years); Benjamin Norden owned three female slaves. Each owner kept a register; however, there was no register for Adriana from Somerset who had been bought from William van Aardt of Somerset. Besides the age the only comment about physical well being was that Sara, the 32-year-old female slave previously owned by van der Mescht was always “sick or appears sickly”. Presumably the registers indicated the slave’s state of health.

Similarly the army noted the state of health of soldiers. In the case of 41 year old Sergeant William Duffy of 6th Battalion his appearance is recorded on the “Examination of Invalid Soldiers” dated 14 April 1841: “5 feet 7½ inches, brown hair, blue eyes, and fresh complexion.” Sergeant Duffy received an invalid pension due to “rheumatism” after his 8 years and 7-months’ service at the Cape. (Public Record Office ref W0116/126)

In conclusion, the only accurate descriptions were the military records. In the case of the deserter, Private Malone, his appearance would result in his recapture: “Private Henry Malone Cape Mounted Rifleman no 2255 – 2820 24 years and 8 months; five feet and six inches fresh complexion; brown hair; blue eyes; deserted 6th January 1854 in Graham’s Town; enlisted 29th December 1846 Clonakilty, County Cork; born in St Peter’s Cork; by trade, a shoemaker; dressed in stable jacket, flannel waistcoat and white trousers. AM White, Captain CM Rifles” (Cape Government Gazette January 1854 p 1)

So for most white South Africans the only definite evidence of physical appearance of ancestors is in the photographs. Remembering Mark Twain’s saying “Clothes make the man….”, a group photograph of a well-dressed family, the Bowles family of King William’s Town tells another story. This poor family got clothes on approval from the local draper, had their photographs taken in their Sunday best and then returned the clothes.