1892 Swanston Street looking south from Collins Street
SKU: MI_1329
Description
This 1892 photograph documents a critical juncture in Melbourne's urban development, capturing Swanston Street's southern vista from Collins Street. The image prominently features the Victoria Buildings (1888), an architecturally significant structure subsequently demolished circa 1966 during the City Square redevelopment project. The Cathedral Hotel anchors the mid-ground composition, with St Paul's Cathedral partially obscured behind its structure. The photograph provides valuable evidence of Melbourne's infrastructure modernisation, particularly the cable tram system's integration into the urban fabric following its 1885 introduction. This visual record illustrates the technological and architectural transitions that characterised late 19th-century Melbourne, offering scholars and historians substantive documentation of the city's morphological transformation and the impermanence of its built heritage.
All text © HotPress
Photograph attributed to Fred Hardie.
This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the University of Aberdeen. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks.
Our team of conservators have worked on a high resolution digital image in order to remove blemishes and artifacts such as stains, mould, scratches and damage caused by the handling of the original. We strive to provide authentic representations of the original work that are suitable for enlargements that retain the tones and character of the original.
Description
This 1892 photograph documents a critical juncture in Melbourne's urban development, capturing Swanston Street's southern vista from Collins Street. The image prominently features the Victoria Buildings (1888), an architecturally significant structure subsequently demolished circa 1966 during the City Square redevelopment project. The Cathedral Hotel anchors the mid-ground composition, with St Paul's Cathedral partially obscured behind its structure. The photograph provides valuable evidence of Melbourne's infrastructure modernisation, particularly the cable tram system's integration into the urban fabric following its 1885 introduction. This visual record illustrates the technological and architectural transitions that characterised late 19th-century Melbourne, offering scholars and historians substantive documentation of the city's morphological transformation and the impermanence of its built heritage.
All text © HotPress
Photograph attributed to Fred Hardie.
This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the University of Aberdeen. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks.
Our team of conservators have worked on a high resolution digital image in order to remove blemishes and artifacts such as stains, mould, scratches and damage caused by the handling of the original. We strive to provide authentic representations of the original work that are suitable for enlargements that retain the tones and character of the original.
