Photographic negatives by Freeman Brothers Studio
Object No. H8504
This group of rare large format collodion negatives were made by the Freeman Brother's Studio between 1865 and 1880. It was established as the 'Freeman Brothers and Wheeler' by William Freeman and his brother James in George Street in 1854; it was still running nearly a 150 years later. One of the keys to their success was their continual upgrading of their equipment and premises to ensure they delivered the latest techniques. As a result they attracted the cultural elite of Sydney to their studios where they were photographed using the techniques of the day. Thus surviving examples can be found as daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, collodion glass plates, flexible sheet negatives all of which were then used to make albumen, gelatin and platinum prints on card, glass, and paper. The scale of their enterprise did not seem to affect the quality of the work they produced; in fact the studio from its inception spared no effort in touching up, and printing, their photographic prints. This combination of high quality work and patronage by the elite of Sydney makes their early work excellent examples of nineteenth-century Australian photography, illustrated by their winning silver and bronze medals at the London International Exhibition in 1862. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, November 2011
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Summary
Object Statement
Photographic negatives (28) and wooden chest, collodion / glass / wood, Freeman Brothers Studio, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1865-1875
Physical Description
Photographic negatives and wooden chest once containing 28 portraits, collodion / glass, Freeman Brothers Studio, Sydney Australia, 1865-1875 29 portraits each 20" x 16", some broken, all in wooden chest measuring 25 1/2" x 17 1/2".
DIMENSIONS
Height
510 mm
Width
410 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Collodion emulson on on large plate glass negatives.
HISTORY
Notes
These negatives were acquired from Freeman Borthers Studio in 1969. In 2011 they were moved from a storage chest in Castle Hill and given part numbers and basic conservation treatments. They were then catalogued then digitised.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Freemans Studios, 1969
Acquisition Date
6 February 1969
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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