Photograph of bridge over Myall River, Bulahdelah, NSW
Object No. 85/1284-2135
This photograph, from a glass plate negative, shows the timber truss bridge over the Myall River at Bulahdelah located 35 km north of Nelson Bay, NSW, north of Sydney. Over 1,000 people assembled to witness the opening of the bridge at 4 pm on Thursday, 28 July 1892, said to be the largest gathering ever seen in the district even though the population of the town at the time was only about 300. The bridge was profusely covered with bunting and ferns, the town decorated, the local children had time off school for a picnic and a banquet was held in the evening. When bridges were completed and opened, this type of celebration was typical of the excitement felt in the local community. Before bridges were constructed over rivers and creeks, flooded waterways claimed many lives, so the opening of a bridge was a momentous affair in the district. These days, (2020) Bulahdelah can be reached by a four-lane freeway only few hours from Sydney. When the NSW Minister for Mines travelled from Sydney to Bulahdelah to perform the opening in 1892, his journey commenced the day before and involved a long and protracted trip travelling by rail to Hexham, being driven in a horse-drawn vehicle to Raymond Terrace, then on a yacht taking 8 hours to travel 40 miles (64 km) up the river to Bulahdelah. In the background, behind the bridge, is the large and imposing 1888 court house designed by James Johnstone Barnet and built by White. It includes cells and replaced an earlier court house of 1869 which was destroyed. The court house no longer performs its function and for some time has been reused as a local history museum. Margaret Simpson, Curator, 2020 Reference: Phillip Simpson, 'Historical Guide to New South Wales', Australian Scholarly Publishing Pty Ltd, North Melbourne, Vic., 2020. This photographic negative was published by the Sydney firm Charles Kerry & Co. and is part of the Powerhouse Museum's Tyrrell collection which contains over 2,900 glass plate negatives by Kerry & Co. Although a few appear to be from the 1880s most were produced between 1892 and 1917. Over this period, and well into the early 1900s, prints from these negatives appeared in many Australian publications and albums of views. In 1903 the company began producing postcards from these negatives, further establishing the images as some of the most significant and best known early views of New South Wales. Some of the more significant themes covered by the collection include; views of New South Wales, Queensland, country towns, Sydney, Indigenous Australians, the South Pacific, rural life, native flora and fauna, and sentimental views. In addition a number of significant events from the 1900s are covered by the collection including; embarkation of troops for the Boer War, Hordens fire, the Inauguration of the Commonwealth in 1901, the arrival of the Great White Fleet and the Burns verses Johnson boxing match at Rushcutters Bay in 1908. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, January, 2009 References Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988 David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981 Tyrrell, James, Australian Aboriginal and South Sea Islands Implements, Weapons and Curios, James Tyrrell, Sydney, 1929
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Summary
Object Statement
Glass negative, half plate, 'View of Myall River at Bulahdelah', depicting bridge and court house at Bulahdelah, silver gelatin, made by Kerry and Co, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, c. 1892-1917, part of Tyrrell Collection
Physical Description
Silver gelatin dry plate glass negative in landscape format. The image depicts the Myall River at Bulahdelah in New South Wales. Crossing the Myall River at Bulahdelah is depicted in the centre of the image. Timber logs can be seen on the river bank on the southern side of the bridge. The Myall River and its river banks are depicted in the foreground of the image. A person in a row boat can be seen on the river and wooden jettys can be seen on the river banks. The land around the river is predominantly cleared. The background of the image depicts the township of Buladelah. The court house can be seen in the background in the centre of the image. A two-storey verandahed building can be seen in the background on the left side of the image. The caption, studio number and studio mark are inscribed on the reverse of the negative. 62/18 Tyrrell Inventory Number, 419 Kerry Studio Number
DIMENSIONS
Width
165 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Charles Kerry was born in 1858 and by 1885 was running a studio in partnership with C. D. Jones. This partnership lasted until 1892, when Charles became sole owner and changed the studio's name to Kerry and Co. By 1890 the company was employing a number of photographers who would become famous in their own right. George Bell who covered rural New South Wales was employed in 1890 and Harold Bradley was doing outdoor work and covering events around Sydney by 1899. Kerry continued to work in the field and in 1895 he took photographs of Royal National Park for New South Wales Government, photographed Queensland artesian bores and was employed by the New South Wales Government to travel the state and photograph Indigenous Australians. In 1897 Kerry led the first party to reach the summit of Mt Kosciuszko in winter conditions and photographed the Jenolan caves. By 1900 Kerry had turned his studio into one of the largest and most respected photographic establishments in the colony. His new four story premises at 310 George St were designed by the architect H. C. Kent and the third floor studios alone could accommodate 70 people wanting their portraits taken. In 1913 Kerry retired leaving the running of the studio to his nephew, unfortunately the business did not do well and Kerry and Co. closed its doors in 1917. Kerry himself died in 1928. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, January, 2009 References Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988 David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981 Tyrrell, James, Australian Aboriginal and South Sea Islands Implements, Weapons and Curios, James Tyrrell, Sydney, 1929
HISTORY
Notes
This photographic negative is one of 2900 Kerry & Co. photographs in the Powerhouse Museum's 'Tyrrell Collection' once owned by Sydney bookseller, James Tyrrell. Almost all of these negatives are 21.5 x 20.3 cm (10 x 8 inch) glass plates and many of those now held by the Powerhouse Museum collection would have been used to create postcards. In addition to the Kerry & Co. Studio images, the Tyrrell Collection at the Powerhouse Museum includes glass plate negatives published by Henry King and a number of other negatives by unattributed photographers James Tyrrell used the images by Kerry & Co. and Henry King to produce his own booklets and views of New South Wales but although full of iconic Australian images, the collection does not appear to have been fully utilised by Tyrrell. In 1980 the collection was purchased by Australian Consolidated Press who published a limited series of 2000 contact prints from the collection. Housed in boxes copies of these were given to the State Library of New South Wales and the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney. In 1985 Australian Consolidated Press donated the collection to the Powerhouse keeping a set of copy prints for themselves. The collection at this time consisted of 7,903 glass plate negatives and 7,916 contact positive prints. A further 2,500 Kerry & Co. negatives are held in the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney, although these do not appear to have been acquired from Charles Kerry and Co. by Tyrrell. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, January, 2009 References Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988 David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981 Tyrrell, James, Australian Aboriginal and South Sea Islands Implements, Weapons and Curios, James Tyrrell, Sydney, 1929
SOURCE
Acquisition Date
19 July 1985
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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