Tag Archives: Early Photographs

The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Samford to Sunnybank.

And a few other “S” things besides. Samford Another place that’s a little outside of Brisbane, but has a lot of historical sites and connections to it. Here are a couple of early views. Sandgate Sandgate and Shorncliffe are a little bit interchangeable, being right next door to each other so to speak. But theyContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Samford to Sunnybank.”

The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Quarries to Rosalie.

Quarries We had them, of course. And alarmingly close to houses, by the looks of things. I was aware of the rock-breaking activities in the early days at Kangaroo Point, but hadn’t quite imagined this, and just a short walk from the centre of town. But it does explain why there’s a Quarry Street inContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane in colour: Quarries to Rosalie.”

The A-Z of Old Brisbane – “L” places and people in colour.

Lamington, Baron The last Governor of the colony of Queensland, and decidedly the most photogenic Governor we’ve ever had, was Lord Lamington. Or, to be more accurate, Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, GCMB, GCIE, FRSGS (29 July 1860 – 16 September 1940). Despite the long-argued connection, or possible lack thereof, between His ExcellencyContinue reading “The A-Z of Old Brisbane – “L” places and people in colour.”

On this day: A scene in the Supreme Court.

6 March 1882. On 6 March 1882, a sensation occurred in the Queensland Supreme Court. It was reported on for weeks afterwards, debated and dissected endlessly. It was a conflict between two well-known – the Honourable Justice George Rogers Harding and the barrister, Mr. Frederick ffoulkes Swanwick. Justice Harding (1838-1895) was a distinguished jurist andContinue reading “On this day: A scene in the Supreme Court.”

The preoccupations of a particular day.

I had wanted to get an understanding of the stories occupying the news, and what made people tick at a certain point in time. I used the very scientific method of picking a date at random, and looking through all of the articles in Queensland’s newspapers for that day. The random day was 26 JanuaryContinue reading “The preoccupations of a particular day.”

Lantern slides of outback life.

The George Washington Wilson Company’s slides of the goldfields. Celebrated photographer George Washington Wilson didn’t make the journey to the goldfields of North Queensland in 1890. By then, he was in old age, and the journey would have been too taxing (besides, he was making enough money to have studios under his command). One ofContinue reading “Lantern slides of outback life.”

The Working Day on the Goldfields – Richard Daintree Photos.

Richard Daintree worked as a geological surveyor in 1870, travelling the vast colony of Queensland on horseback. He collected samples of minerals, noted areas of interest, and took photographs. He travelled with his camera equipment in a little wooden case, recording the extraordinary scenery, and the people working tirelessly to make a living in harsh,Continue reading “The Working Day on the Goldfields – Richard Daintree Photos.”

A Group Photo for the Ages.

It gives us a date and a place – Mount Victoria on 18 September 1892. The setting is a quite charming cottage with a brick chimney, somewhere in the countryside. The edges of the photo are blurred, there are 30 figures posed in front of the house, and the silhouette of a woman indoors. ThereContinue reading “A Group Photo for the Ages.”

Panoramas of Old Brisbane.

Windmill Hill, or as it became later, Wickham Terrace, afforded townsfolk an outstanding view of Brisbane Town. Several photographers stood more or less on the same spot and recorded the view through the 19th and early 20th centuries in a series of panoramas. In the process, they recorded enormous growth, historic buildings under construction, andContinue reading “Panoramas of Old Brisbane.”