Glass plate negative of Sydney's Circular Quay showing wool stores and horse buses and hansom cabs in Alfred Street, 1892
Object No. 85/1286-21
In this image of Sydney's Circular Quay from a glass plate negative produced in 1892 horse-drawn vehicles still rule the road. There are horse buses running along Alfred Street and a row of hansom cabs are waiting at the rank for fares. Evidence of the importance of the wool trade can seen from the row of gabled wool stores including those of Hill Clark & Co., Winchcombe Carson & Co. and the Talbot wool pressing stores. In the background at Sydney Cove Wharves 1 and 2, are three seagoing passenger vessels. A small tug passes with a smaller tug standing by with a lighter. The Port Jackson Steamship Co.'s wharf is bare of ferries but a pile of sacks suggests a ferry is on the way. At the Watsons Bay wharf, advertising a return fare for 9 pence, two ferries are waiting. The larger is the 'Bee' (1884-1901). She was to become the first ferry of the Hayles family's Barrier Reef tour company in 1899 and was wrecked in a gale in 1901. Graeme Andrews OAM, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences volunteer under the supervision of Margaret Simpson, Curator, December 2015 This photographic negative was taken by an un-attributed photographer between the late nineteenth century and 1935 and is part of a larger collection of 7,900 negatives once owned by Sydney bookseller, James Tyrrell. Included in this section of the collection is a wide variety of subject matter including Sydney Streets, New South Wales landscapes, World War I portraits and images of the Harbour Bridge from the early 1930s. While many of these images remain un-attributed at present it is likely that some were taken by Charles Kerry and Henry King and were either copied by Tyrrell or one of these photographers at a later date. Some of the photographs from Papua New Guinea appear to have been taken by Reverend Lawes and these may have been a part of the selection acquired by King in the 1890s. David Millar in his book on Charles Kerry also comments on how Tyrrell's purchase from Kerry contained a number of World War I portraits and these seem likely to be the ones in this part of the Tyrrell collection. However other photographs, like those of Sydney Harbour Bridge, were taken after both Kerry and King had died and must have been later acquisitions by either Tyrrell or Australian Consolidated Press. Geoff Barker, Curatorial, December, 2008 References Millar, David P., Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, David Ellis Press, Sydney, 1981
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Summary
Object Statement
Glass negative, full plate, entitled 'Circular Quay, 1892' depicting Sydney Cove wharves, wool stores and horse buses and hansom cabs in Alfred Street, glass, unattributed photographer, part of the Tyrrell Collection, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1892
Physical Description
Glass negative, full plate, entitled "Circular Quay, 1892" depicting Sydney Cove wharves, wool stores and horse buses and hansom cabs in Alfred Street, glass, unattributed photographer, part of the Tyrrell Collection, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1892 Silver gelatin dry plate glass negative in landscape format. The caption is inscribed within the image. There is no studio mark or studio number on the negative. The negative is not fully catalogued. 4/62 Tyrrell Inventory Number, no studio number.
DIMENSIONS
Width
215 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
This negative is not attributed to a particular studio. The Tyrrell Collection of glass plate negatives dates from approximately 1880-1923.
HISTORY
Notes
This photograph is one of 795 un-attributed photographs which are part of a larger collection of 7,900 negatives once owned by Sydney bookseller James Tyrrell. Also included in the Powerhouse Museum's Tyrrell collection are around 2900 photographs published by the famous Australian studio of Kerry & Co. (85/1284) and around 1300 glass plates by the Sydney based photographer Henry King (85/1285). While these images remain un-attributed at present it is likely that some of them were in fact part of the Charles Kerry and Henry King collections purchased by Tyrrell around 1929. There is a series of World War I portraits which have the names of the soldiers etched onto the negative but which are not credited to any particular studio but which may have been taken by Kerry & Co. studio. Amongst this group are photographs of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, taken after both Kerry and King had died, and acquired at a later date either by Tyrrell or somehow included in the material from Australian Consolidated Press. 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 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
Acquisition Date
19 July 1985
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