Glass plate negative of Campbells Cove, Fort Macquarie, Water Police base and Circular Quay, Sydney, 1883-1890
Object No. 85/1285-51
This image from a glass plate negative produced between 1883 and 1890 is a view east across Sydney Cove from Dawes Point. The small craft in the foreground are mostly the pulling boats of the NSW Water Police which was based here for more than a century. This small cove had no name at the time this image was taken but is now known as Campbell's Cove. To the left in the distance is Fort Denison and beyond that, Bradleys Head. To the right Sydney Cove extends out of sight to the wharves of [semi] Circular Quay. A small steam launch is moving briskly into the cove while another lies to a mooring. The wharf to right was eventually known as Sydney Cove No 7 a and b. This is the 'b' side. A large steam lighter is blowing off steam alongside the wharf. Out in Sydney Cove a large steam tug is manoeuvring while on the eastern side there are three ships berthed alongside. The one to the left is probably one of the four auxiliary passenger steamers of the Orient Line - 'Chimborazo', 'Cuzco', 'Garonne' and 'Lusitania' worked the UK to Sydney run, variously between 1871 and 1905 with most of them withdrawn during the middle 1890s. Towards the tip of Bennelong Point can be seen a vehicular ferry 'Benelon' or 'Barangaroo' leaving for Milsons Point ramp on the north shore. The large building on the eastern shore is Hill Clarke's wool store which was built in 1883. Graeme Andrews OAM, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences volunteer under the supervision of Margaret Simpson, Curator, June 2016 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. Henry King became sole proprietor of a photographic studio in George Street in 1880. It closed in around 1900 and Charles Kerry acquired some of his negatives.
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Summary
Object Statement
Glass plate negative, full plate, entitled 'Sydney Harbour from Dawes Point, N.S.W.', depicting Campbell's Cove, Fort Macquarie, Water Police base and Circular Quay wharves, photograph by Henry King, Sydney, Australia, 1883-1890
Physical Description
Glass plate negative, full plate, entitled 'Sydney Harbour from Dawes Point, N.S.W.', depicting Campbell's Cove, Fort Macquarie, Water Police base and Circular Quay wharves, photograph by Henry King, Sydney, Australia, 1883-1890 Silver gelatin dry plate glass negative in landscape format. The caption, studio number and studio mark are inscribed on the reverse of the negative. The negative is not fully catalogued. 1/124 Tyrrell Inventory Number, 70 King Studio Number
DIMENSIONS
Width
215 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Henry King was born in England around 1855 but 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
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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