Salvador Torrents Collection
Salvador Torrents was a Catalan born in Mataro in 1885. He was involved in political activity as an anarchist from an early age. In 1909 he was obliged to leave Spain for France because of this activity and moved between Spain and France several times over the next few years. He came to Australia in 1915 with his wife and daughter. They travelled to Innisfail where they took up cane growing land and in 1918 purchased 60 acres of land at Mena Creek where they lived the rest of their lives.
This collection includes some of Torrents' important personal documents and writings as well as many momentos and personal items. A collection of books was also donated at the same time as this archival collection.
Archive Location: 500-502
Series Listing
Series 1 - Postcards and Postcard Sized Photographs
Series 2 - Documents and Letters
Series 3 - Photographs
Series 4 - Publications
Series 5 - Notebooks
Series 6 - Accompanying NotesTorrents Collection (MS Word document)
This is a list of the book collection originally the property of Salvador Torrents, donated to the JCU Department of History and Politics and transferred to JCU Library Archives, 1997.
Detailed Listing
Series 1 Postcards and Postcard Sized Photographs - Most appear to date from the 1910s, 1920s or 1930s.Unless otherwise stated the verso is blank. Where a title has been supplied it appears in square brackets.
ST/1/1 [Woman and child] (hand tinted?) Verso has message in Spanish.
ST/1/2 Birthday Greetings [Child with flowers] (hand tinted?) Verso has message in English from Maria to Paz.
ST/1/3 Chateau du Thorne, Cote Nord
ST/1/4 Toulon, Panorama et le Nouvel Hospital Militaire. Verso has message in Spanish, 27/11/1915
ST/1/5 Lyon, Quai de Bondy. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/6 Lyon, Pont du Midi
ST/1/7 paris, Vue Generale du Pont Alexandre III
ST/1/8 Saint Cloud, Le Parc
ST/1/9 Bessages, Usines de Constructions Metalliques
ST/1/10 Bessages, La Marie
ST/1/11 Toulouse, Vue Panoramique sur la Garonne. Verso has message in Spanish.
ST/1/12 Paris, Colonne de Juillet
ST/1/13 Paris, Le Trocadero
ST/1/14 Paris, Vue Generale du Metroplitan Boulevarde de Grenell, vers Passy
ST/1/15 Paris, Eglise, Notre Dame
ST/1/16 Paris, Le Dome de Invalides
ST/1/17 Paris, La Bourse
ST/1/18 Paris, la Grande Rous
ST/1/19 Paris, La Colonne Vendome
ST/1/20 Paris, L’Opera
ST/1/21 Saint-Cloud, le Pont
ST/1/22 Paris, la Concierge
ST/1/23 Saint Germaine-en-laye, Vue panoramique
ST/1/24 Paris, la Tour Eiffel. Verso has message in Spanish addressed to a member of the Torrents family in Melbourne, postmarked 7/4/1916.
ST/1/25 Paris, Panorama de la Place de L’Etoile
ST/1/26 Paris, Les Invalides
ST/1/ 27 Panorama de Versailles
ST/1/ 28 Versailles, Le Grand Trianon
ST/1/29 S.S. Bombola
ST/1/30 [View of ships at sea] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/31 Napoli, Panorama de S. Martine. Verso has message in Spanish addressed to a member of the Torrents family in Mataro, postmarked 30/12/1915
ST/1/32 Buddhist priests at their shrine, [Ceylon] Verso has message in English
ST/1/33 Tea plucking [Ceylon]
ST/1/34 native bullock cart [Ceylon] Verso has message in English
ST/1/35 Temple of the Holy Tooth, Kandy [Ceylon]
ST/1/36 Veddhas [Ceylon]
ST/1/37 Betel Leaf Seller, Colombo [Ceylon] Verso has message in Spanish addressed to Mataro. Dated on front 23/12/1916
ST/1/38 Traveller’s palm [Ceylon]
ST/1/ 39 A kandyan lady [Ceylon] Verso has message in Spanish addressed to a member of the Torrents family in Mataro, dated 5/3/1916
ST/1/40 Galle Face Hotel, Colombo [Ceylon]
ST/1/41 Shipping Offices, Philimore St, Fremantle
ST/1/42 El descanso en la Granja [painting] Adressed to Paz Torrents, Mena Creek, no message
ST/1/43 La otrenda [painting]
ST/1/44 Isabelita Ruiz [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/45 Frou Frou
ST/1/46 Gira campestre otrenda [painting]
ST/1/47 Portrait de Marie-Antoinette
ST/1/48 Souvenir d’Amitie
ST/1/49 Mr et Mme Denis
ST/1/50 Tarde de verano [painting]
ST/1/51 Pepe Marques
ST/1/52 El buen guia [painting]
ST/1/53 En la intimad [painting]
ST/1/54 Parpignan Les Temps futurs
ST/1/55 [Little girl (Paz?) with fish and flowers] Verso carries Spanish handwritten caption
ST/1/56 La Bala de Bronce [scene from film]
ST/1/57 [Studio portrait of woman] [hand coloured?]
ST/1/58 A Papa Felicidades.Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/59 La comunion [painting] 2 copies
ST/1/60 La Bala de Bronce [scene from film]
ST/1/61 Despues de la Misa [painting]
ST/1/62 El ama del corral [painting]
ST/1/63 Una primavera mas [painting]
ST/1/64 [Studio portrait of woman and child] Verso has message in Spanish addressed to Mataaddressed to Salvador Torrents in Mataro
ST/1/65 Jerusalen Libertada [scene form film]
ST/1/66 [Two children] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/67 Man, woman and child [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/68 [Little girl with toys] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/69 [Little girl] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish. Surface damaged
ST/1/70 [Two children] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/ 71 [Two children] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/72 [Little girl] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/73 [Little girl] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/74 Esperance [Little girl] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/75 [Boy] [Hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/76 [Two deer]
ST/1/77 [Scene from play?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/78 [Man, woman and child] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/79 [Woman and child] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/80 [Man, woman and child] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/81 [Woman and child (in bath) (hand coloured?) Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/82 Birthday Wishes [cottage with flowers] Verso has message in English from Paz to Salvador Torrents
ST/1/83 [Nursery rhyme scene] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/84 [man, woman and two girls] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/85 [Man and woman] [hand coloured?]
ST/1/86 A deux douce est la vie [man and woman] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/87 Port Said. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/88 [Little girl with toys] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/89 Nota dificile [painting]
ST/1/90 [Man, woman and child] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/91 [Woman and child] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/92 [Little girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/93 [Woman and child] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/94 [Child] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/95 [Child with dog] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/96 All Birthday Joys [flowers] Verso has birthday greetings in Spanish
ST/1/97 Cote d’Azur
ST/1/98 Sugar Cane Plantation. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/99 [Decorative border, may have had a photograph pasted on] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/100 Barcelona Ferrocarril funiculat del Tibidabo. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/101 Mataro. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/102 Mataro, Teatro de la Nueva Constanci.Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/103 Blanes. El Viver. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/104 Blanes.A vista de Aussell. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/105 Quien es el numero uno? [Scene from film]
ST/1/106 !Adios Juventud! [Scene from film]
ST/1/107 [Man, woman and child, drawing]. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/108 Toulouse. Pont St Pierre et Dome de la Grave. Verso has message in Spanish addressed to Mataro.
ST/1/109 Barcelona Ferrocarril funicular del Tibidabo. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/110 [Woman and child]
ST/1/111 Francosco Ferre
ST/1/112 Spencer
ST/1/113 Pedro Kropotkine
ST/1/114 Jaures
ST/1/115 Darwin
ST/1/116 Maximo Gorki
ST/1/117 Bernard Shaw
ST/1/118 Leon Tolstoy
ST/1/119 Emilio Zola
ST/1/120 Miguel Bakounine
ST/1/121 [Quotations from, and photograph of,] E. Armand
ST/1/122 En el umbra [painting]
ST/1/123 Los amigos [painting]
ST/1/124 [Man, woman and child] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/125 [Man, woman and child] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/126 [Man, woman and child] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/127 Buona Pasqua [girl with sheep]
ST/1/128 Regresso del trabajo [painting]
ST/1/129 Paris-Montmartre. Basilique du Sacre-Couer et Funiculaire
ST/1/130 [Man and woman] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/131 Queensland Blacks canoeing
ST/1/132 O.T. 39. Survey Camel Team at Connos (?) Well, N.T.
ST/1/133 Oddfellow’s Hall, Edith Street
ST/1/134 [Family group] Poor condition
ST/1/135 Gathering famous red lily roots for supper, Daly River
ST/1/136 [Four men with snakes]
ST/1/137 Kuong Sue Duk [Chinese family group] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/138 Suspension Bridge, North Sydney. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/139 Paris. Basilique du Sacre-Couer de Montmartre. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/140 [Litle girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/141 [Litle girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish dated 12/11/1921
ST/1/142 La vendedora de huevos [painting]
ST/1/143 Otono [painting]
ST/1/144 Bonne Fete [little girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/145 Argentinita [card is partly embroidered]
ST/1/146 R.M.S.Ormonde. Verso has message in Spanish addressed to Salvador Torrents, Innisfail, postmarked 9/3/1925
ST/1/147 [Girl]Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/148 Bonne Fete [little girl] [hand coloured?]
ST/1/149 [Boy and girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/150 [Roses] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/151 [Boy and girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish dated Mataro, 25/10/1922
ST/1/152 [Man and woman in front of waterfall]. Card has been folded
ST/1/153 Nurses Home, Brisbane
ST/1/154 Western Avenue, Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne
ST/1/155 Hamilton, Brisbane
ST/1/156 Mosman’s Bay, Sydney
ST/1/157 [Man and woman] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/158 [Man and woman in boat] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/159 [Nursery rhyme scene] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/160 [Man and woman in boat] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/161 Colombo. The seashore at Mount Lavinia. Verso has message in Spanish addressed to Salvador Torrents, Innisfail
ST/1/162 [Flowers] [hand coloured?]
ST/1/163 [Baby]
ST/1/164 [Bathing belle]
ST/1/165 Lina Morena
ST/1/166 Anglican Church, Fremantle
ST/1/167 [Man and woman]
ST/1/168 [Girl with cat] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/169 La preferida [painting]
ST/1/170 A mi Paz [baby]
ST/1/171 [Nursery rhyme scene] Verso has message in Spanish dated 1/11/1918
ST/1/172 [Woman]
ST/1/173 [Woman with girl] [hand coloured?] Verso has message in Spanish dated Mataro, 3/11/1919
ST/1/174 [Flowers] [hand coloured?]
ST/1/175 [Aboriginal]
ST/1/176 [Woman and girl]
ST/1/177 [Man]
ST/1/178 [Two Aboriginal men]
ST/1/179 – Missed in sequencing-
ST/1/180 [Aboriginal man]
ST/1/181 Coburg Peninsula fighters at spear practice. N.T.
ST/1/182 [Aboriginal group in stream]
ST/1/183 East Arnhem Land warriors. N.T.
ST/1/184 Queensland Blacks spearing a horse
ST/1/185 [Two women]
ST/1/186 [Two men] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/187 Toulouse 26 Jun 1910. Verso addressed to Salvador Torrens (sic) from Agustin Bosch, dated Toulouse, 26/7/1910. Card surface damaged.
ST/1/188 [Studio portrait of man] Studio address Mataro
ST/1/189 [Studio portrait of woman] Studio address Mataro
ST/1/190 See Poy & Sons Pty.Ltd., Innisfail
ST/1/191 [Studio portrait of man]
ST/1/192 [Studio portrait of man]
ST/1/193 [Studio portrait of child] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/194 [Portrait of man]
ST/1/195 [Waterfall]
ST/1/196 [Two men] faded print
ST/1/197 [Studio portrait of man] Studio address Barcelona. Verso has message in Spanish dated 25/5/1920
ST/1/198 Mataro. Plaza de Libertad. Verso has message in Spanish dated 29/7/1922
ST/1/199 [Baby]
ST/1/200 [Group of men]
ST/1/201 {Woman with telescope]
ST/1/202 [Man and woman] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/203 [Two girls] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/204 [Man, woman and girl] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/205 [Child] Verso has message in Spanish dated Mataro 8/11/1927
ST/1/206 [Two children]
ST/1/207 [Woman]
ST/1/208 [Group of men] Verso has message in Spanish dated Lyon 9/5/1925
ST/1/209 [Man and woman] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/210 [Boy and girl] Verso has message in Spanish dated Mataro 11/2/1923
ST/1/211 [Family group] Verso has message in Spanish dated Mataro dated 6/6/1927
ST/1/212 Mataro, Vista parcial de la Playa.Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/213 [Studio portrait of man] Studio address Mataro
ST/1/214 Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, Le Chateau
ST/1/215 [Studio portrait of boy and girl] Studio address Mataro, dated November 1923
ST/1/216 [Man with grinding wheel]
ST/1/217 [Studio portrait of man]
ST/1/218 Le Cure de Pontoise [painting] Verso has message in Spanish addressed Mataro
ST/1/219 Mataro, Parque Municipal. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/220 [Man]
ST/1/221 [Spanish street scene]
ST/1/222 [Man]
ST/1/223 [Man, woman and child] Verso has message in Spanish dated Mataro
ST/1/224 [Man and woman] Verso has message in Spanish addressed to Paz Torrents, Mena Creek
ST/1/225 [Man with bicycle]
ST/1/226 [Man]
ST/1/227 [Group of men]
ST/1/228 [Illustrated book advertisement]
ST/1/229 [Two men and a woman in a pineapple plot]
ST/1/230 [Two Aboriginal men]
ST/1/231 [Woman and girl]. Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/232 [Man with one leg missing] Dated 5/5/1909
ST/1/233 [Two boys in cobbler’s workshop] Verso has message in Spanish
ST/1/234 [Aboriginal men staging battle]
ST/1/235 [Political cartoon] Dated 13/10/1909
ST/1/236 Rodez – Gare de Garaire
Series 2 Documents and Letters
ST/2/1 Passport of Salvador Torrents issued 15 October 1915. Republique Francaise Passeport l’Etranger
ST/2/2 Letter about the 1934 cane cutters strike in Ingham, addressed ‘Dear Peter’, signed ‘G.B.’, dated Coolangatta 29 October 1986
ST/2/3 Fragment of letter
ST/2/4 Letter to Salvador Torrents from Nettie Palmer about article in Cultura Proletaria 28 May 1948
ST/2/5 Letter to Salvador Torrents from Cultura Proletaria in Spanish dated 20 January 1937
ST/2/6 Entry visa into France valid until 25 November 1915. Republique Francaise Annexe du Passeport
ST/2/7 Spanish military service papers, Salvador Torrents, dated 31 July 1917
ST/2/8 [Draft?] letter to J.A. Dawson. Signed ‘S. Torrents’.
ST/2 9 Testimonial, Salvador Torrents
ST/2/10 Letter [draft?] to ‘Dear Friend’ from Salvador Torrents, Mission Beach, dated 3/8/1948
ST/2/11 Letter [draft?] to ‘My Grand Son Stanley’ from ‘Your Grand Dad’, no date
ST/2/12 Letter [draft?] to ‘Secretary, Spanish Relief Committee’ from ‘Inisfail Trades and Labour Council’. Signed and dated ‘G.C. Wickbold 8 November 1938’
ST/2/13 Letter [draft?] to ‘Juan Astorquia’ from Salvador Torrents, Mission Beach, 4/3/1948
ST/2/14 Letter [draft? or prose piece?] ‘Las Minjers y la Vida’
ST/2/15 Letter [draft?] to ‘Fra N. Palmer’ from Salvador Torrents, 1948
ST/2/16 Letter [draft? or prose piece?] ‘Dos Palabras al cindadono (sp?) Pio XII
ST/2/17 Letter [draft?] to ‘General Secretary of the Australian Council of Civil Liberties [incomplete?]
ST/2/18 Letter [draft?] to ‘Editor of the Sunday Australian’ from Salvador Torrents, Mena Creek
ST/2/19 Letter [draft?] to ‘Mr. Jones’
ST/2/20 Letter [draft?] to ‘My Friend’ from ‘Your Friend’.
ST/3/1 66 photographic negatives, mainly family and military grouops, some of images in Series 1
ST/3/2 Modern photograph of man, 2 copies
ST/3/3 Modern photograph of man, 2 copies
ST/3/4 Studio portrait in folder of man in uniform, inscribed ‘At Cairo Feb 1928’
ST/3/5 Studio portrait in folder of man in uniform
ST/3/6 Mounted photograph of man inscribed ‘Chelmsford’
St/3/7 Mounted photograph of woman and child inscribed ‘Trudy and Tony Chelmsford 1922’
ST/3/8 Photograph of woman. Inscribed on verso ‘Trudy’
ST/3/9 Photograph of man. Inscribed ‘X’mas 1915’
ST/3/10 Photograph of youth in uniform. Inscribed ‘July 1900’
ST/3/11 Two small illustrations of children
ST/3/12 Cardboard photograph mount, with photograph removed. Inscribed ‘R.Sinclair & Sons 101 Northgate St., Canterbury’ST/4/1 The Worker’s first seventy years: souvenir
ST/4/2 8 page flier for Enciclopedia Anarquista
ST/4/3 Flier ‘To the Australian People’ from ‘Innisfail Spanish Relief Committee’
ST/4/4 Several items of printed ephemera including greeting cards, cinema advertisements, etc.
ST/5/1 Poesias Cronicas y Cuentor por Salvador Torrents. Handwritten 2/9/1917, 62pp.
ST/5/2 Cuento: Viage de un montaner a la capital Catalana por Salvador Torrents. Handwritten, 29/7/1916, 30pp.
ST/5/3 Memorias de un Obrero. Costumbres de los espanoles en el Nort de Queensland por Salvador Torrrents. Handwritten, undated, 25pp.
ST/5/4 Recverades de Mi Vida, Salvador Torrents, includes various writings and letters, dates cover period 22/3/1948 – 20/4/1951
ST/5/5 Scrapbook of press clippings January 1939 – July 1946
ST/5/6 Poesias por Salvador Torrents. Handwritten, undated
ST/5/7 Cronicas escritas en mi intancia en el Nothe de Queensland. Handwritten, 1916 – 1917, 30pp.
ST/5/8 Scrapbook of press clippings with handwritten notes, mostly undated, includes dates between1941 and 1950
ST/5/9 Scrapbook of press clippings with handwritten notes, dates cover period between 1932 and 1945
ST/5/10 Impreciones de un viaje Australia. Handwritten, 57pp. Water damaged, no date
ST/5/11 Scrapbook of clippings of poems
ST/5/12 Scrapbook of notes on books
ST/5/13 Mi Anarquismo: Frabajo leido en el Centro Emantipation Anarchists de Lyon por Salvador Torrents. Handwritten, 44pp, undated
ST/5/14 Noche de Tempested. Handwritten, 61pp, undated
ST/5/15 Curiosidade, Curiosities. Scrapbook of press clippings, many loose clippings within. Some English, some Spanish. Includes dates between 1943 and 1947
ST/5/16 - not used
ST/5/17 Scrapbook of press clippings, some loose within. Front cover inscribed ‘Datos historicos’. In English and Spanish. Includes dates between 1937 and 1940
ST/5/18 Scrapbook of press clippings written by Salvador Torrents, some in English , some in Spanish. Loose clippings within. Includes dates between 1915 and 1949
ST/5/19 Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol 47 no 3 September 2001. Article ‘”The word makes the man”: A Catalan anarchist autodidact in the Australian bush’ by Judith Keene.ST/6/1 Initial notes on items received with them from the School of History and Politics. Done by ?Professor Dalton or ?Professor Paul Turnbull.
