1873 Sydney Wharves near Fort Macquarie, Bennelong Point
Description
A magnificent photo of 1873 Sydney Wharves near Fort Macquarie, Bennelong Point. Taken by Henry Beaufoy Merlin and his business partner and protégé Charles Bayliss, it was one of the last photos taken by this pair, as Merlin passed away in September of 1873. Bayliss continued this style of photography, creating a massive legacy of superb images of Eastern Australia.
The Fort Macquarie Fort in the photo was a square castellated battlement built in 1821 at Bennelong Point Sydney, on the site where the Sydney Opera House now stands. It was demolished in 1901 to make way for the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot.
The location, Bennelong Point, was named after Woollarawarre Bennelong (c1764 – 3 January 1813) who was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia. Bennelong served as an interlocutor between the Eora and the British, both in the colony of New South Wales and in Great Britain. He was the first Aboriginal Australian to visit Europe and return.
All text © HotPress
Photographers were Henry Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss.
This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the State Library of New South Wales, held in their Mitchell Library. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks.
Our team of conservators have worked on a high resolution digital image in order to remove age-related damage caused by the handling and storage 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
A magnificent photo of 1873 Sydney Wharves near Fort Macquarie, Bennelong Point. Taken by Henry Beaufoy Merlin and his business partner and protégé Charles Bayliss, it was one of the last photos taken by this pair, as Merlin passed away in September of 1873. Bayliss continued this style of photography, creating a massive legacy of superb images of Eastern Australia.
The Fort Macquarie Fort in the photo was a square castellated battlement built in 1821 at Bennelong Point Sydney, on the site where the Sydney Opera House now stands. It was demolished in 1901 to make way for the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot.
The location, Bennelong Point, was named after Woollarawarre Bennelong (c1764 – 3 January 1813) who was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia. Bennelong served as an interlocutor between the Eora and the British, both in the colony of New South Wales and in Great Britain. He was the first Aboriginal Australian to visit Europe and return.
All text © HotPress
Photographers were Henry Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss.
This is a digitally retouched reproduction of the original held by the State Library of New South Wales, held in their Mitchell Library. All prints are reproduced without the HOTPRESS watermarks.
Our team of conservators have worked on a high resolution digital image in order to remove age-related damage caused by the handling and storage 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.