As the decade began, more people had access to cameras, and set about recording their daily lives with a passion. Of course, the middle and upper classes had more access to both leisure and photography, so much of the activity recorded here is of a class of people who could afford to record their activities.
A party of lady archers stopped by a creek near the south-western town of Goondiwindi to pose for a photo. They weren’t doing anything as vulgar as actually aiming and shooting arrows, they were merely gazing off at some unknown possible target. A man sits on a tree stump with a bow, clearly wishing the ladies would get on with it. A small child has not followed instructions to stay still, and is blurred. Hatted, gloved, corseted and clad in the most voluminous, heavy impractical dresses possible for a sporting activity, these ladies represent a triumph of respectability over climate and conditions.
On the Tropic of Capricorn, in a town that had only been proclaimed twelve years earlier, a group of young men pose in costume as policemen, hobos, swells, miners and even a lady. (I’m fairly sure mixed clubs weren’t the thing in 1870 – even if Rockhampton was called the “City of Three S’s – Sweat, Sin and Sorrow.”) Possibly the Garnetts were an amateur theatrical group, and by the looks of them, were well-versed in farce. At least they look like they were enjoying themselves, not something common in photos from that time.
This rather alarming-looking bunch is the Mackay Turf Club in 1870. Mackay had been in existence for less than a decade when the Turf Club formed, and members posed for a photograph, wearing the uncertainly-moored cravats of men in the tropics and their most ferocious expressions.
A spot of artistic composition in early photography – this picture was taken by someone skilled at more than just wielding the machinery. It takes the viewer back to a time when the banks of the Brisbane River were bushland, and sailing boats dotted the water.
A charming scene, as it was intended to be, no doubt. These are the more sophisticated city cousins of the archers and the Garnetts. The two young ladies are dressed in flowing white – perhaps not the most suitable costume for sitting on the ground, but the effect is lovely. One gentleman has a book or journal open, while another chap with extensive mutton chop whiskers has a cup on his lap. Even the little dog is charming as he contemplates the photographer across a sea of gorgeously arranged white linen.
At last, working class people having fun! This group of prospectors decided to improvise a table tennis match using gold mining tools, and are captured full of life and fun. Life in the goldfields was one of hard work and for most, little reward. The archers and the group on the lawn would probably consider this vulgar, but it’s a breath of fresh air after all the gloom of the turf club.
A day on the water with dad, 19th century style, and a nice way to finish a look at leisure in the Colony of Queensland in the 1860s and 1870s.
All photographs are located in the collections of the State Library of Queensland and the National Library of Australia.
Moreton Bay and More 
I love looking at old pics. They often show so much more about the people of the time when you look closely at everything but them. Their clothes, tools, the background, etc, offer clues about their class, the pic’s location, time and reason for the photo being taken.
Unfortunately many aging photos I see come without supportive text to identify specifics within the frame. We see the people, what they’re wearing, etc, but not their names, locations, time and purpose of the image.
Without a living narrator to shed light on its content, I fear many high quality images will be lost to landfill. Boxes of prints, slides and negatives will dissappear because they make no sense to anyone.
-Michael
LikeLike