Glass plate negative of Mort & Co. wool store, Circular Quay, Sydney, 1887-1889
Object No. 85/1285-109
This image from a glass plate negative produced between 1887 and 1889 shows a very busy scene at Sydney's Circular Quay with the fortress like Italianate Mort & Co Ltd wool store, built in 1869, dominating the image. The wool store was demolished in 1959 to make way for the 26 storey AMP Building which was Sydney's first skyscraper. In the foreground are three small, single-ended steam ferries loading day trippers. From the left is 'Meteor' (1881-sunk off Tasmania in 1893), 'Rose' (1881- burnt 1916) and 'Courier' (1887- scrap 1930). 'Rose' and 'Courier' are already well loaded. Will the rest of the crowd fit aboard 'Meteor'? Standing in Alfred Street, close to the ferries, is a large group of people, holding a meeting. Nearby is a banner which proclaims 'Orange Benefit Society Picnic.' On the facade of the Mort & Co store is a message in electric light bulbs, 'MANY HA PY RETURNS.' Tweedle's Belmore Hotel is open for business with possible customers nearby. At the far left is the bowsprit of a sailing ship while the stern of another large sailing ship is seen at the right, alongside 'Semi-circular Quay. Graeme Andrews OAM, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences volunteer under the supervision of Margaret Simpson, Curator, September 2015 This photographic negative was taken by the Sydney based photographer Henry King. It is part of a collection of over 1300 glass plates taken between 1880 and 1917, although most appear to have been made in the late 1880s and 1890s King was one of the Colony's most significant early photographers and although born in England around 1855 grew up in Sydney. He found work with the well-known Sydney photographer J. Hubert Newman and in 1880 established a studio in partnership with William Slade. Four years later he was sole proprietor. King quickly established a reputation for himself due to the high quality of his finished work. While King's income, like many other photographers, was dependent on portraiture he, like Kerry, is best known for his outdoor work. These views, particularly his city views, are justifiably praised and seem more carefully framed and printed than Kerry's. Outdoor views of Sydney make up the main bulk of King's work in the collection although, like Kerry, he took a series of photographs of the Jenolan Caves using magnesium flares. Henry King died aged 68 in Waverley War Memorial Hospital on 22 May 1923 following abdominal surgery Geoff Barker, Curatorial, December, 2008 References King, Richard, Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition Josef Lebovic, Henry King, 1855 - 1923, auction catalogue, Josef Lebovic Gallery, Paddington, Australia, date unknown Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988
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Summary
Object Statement
Glass plate negative, full plate, entitled 'Phillip Street Sydney, Circular Quay', depicting Mort & Co Ltd wool store, Alfred Street, Sydney, ferries and sailing ships at Circular Quay, Henry King, Sydney, Australia, 1887-1889
Physical Description
Glass plate negative, full plate, entitled 'Phillip Street Sydney, Circular Quay', depicting Mort & Co Ltd wool store, Alfred Street, Sydney, ferries and sailing ships at Circular Quay, Henry King, Sydney, Australia, 1887-1889 Silver gelatin dry plate glass negative in landscape format depicting view from Circular Quay up Phillip Street with Tweddle's Belmore Hotel on one corner and the Mort & Co Limited building on the other. Several steam and sailing ships are moored in the foreground. The caption, studio number and studio mark are inscribed on the reverse of the negative. 47/29 Tyrrell Inventory Number, 135 King Studio Number
DIMENSIONS
Width
215 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Henry King became sole proprietor of a photographic studio in George Street in 1880. Henry King's studio closed around 1900 and Charles Kerry acquired some of his negatives.
HISTORY
Notes
This photograph is one of 1334 Henry King photographs which are also part of a larger collection of 7,900 negatives once owned by Sydney bookseller, James Tyrrell. After King's death in 1923 the studio collection of glass negatives was purchased by Tyrrell. In addition to the Henry King images, the Tyrrell Collection at the Powerhouse Museum includes glass plate negatives published by Kerry & Co. Studio 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. The photographic collection acquired by Tyrrell was purchased by Australian Consolidated Press and its new owners almost immediately set about producing a limited series of complete sets of contact prints of the collection for libraries and museums in New South Wales. 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 Museum. The collection at this time consisted of 7,903 glass plate negatives and 7,916 contact positive prints. Of these 493 glass plates were damaged but usable and 13 plates totally broken. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, December, 2008
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Australian Consolidated Press under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme, 1985
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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