degotardi

View further down the street

Something happened in "Miles Buildings" - a view or famous inhabitant - can't remember who or when . . .

Rear of Miles Buildings Cumberland St. [Sydney] (c.1901) [SLV: H42656, b28037]
Miles Buildings (rear) Cumberland Street (November 1933)* [SLNSW: d1_21668] [*note: the date the photograph was re-photographed]

Remembered! John Degotardi (Senior) photographed a panorama of "Sydney and Port Jackson (from Myles' [sic] Buildings, Cumberland Street Nth" in ca. 1865-1868. According to the blurb Mrs L. Myles' house was at 34 Cumberland St, which I think is one of these back entrances. acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=440028#

Full caption for this image is "Gloucester st / Miles Buildings/ Where Edmund Barton was born". Hence important person born was Edmund Barton, Australia's first Prime Minister. Australian Dictionary of Biography states born 18 Jan 1849 at Glebe adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barton-sir-edmund-toby-71. JS

This is in Clyde Street, Millers Point (street now demolished). The house on the left with the lamp is in this painting by Julian Ashton "Clyde St, Miller's Point " 1901 (AGNSW) - www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/5857/ [link updated 7/4/16] Also in this 1893 etching by Livingston Hopkins (NLA) - nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an8538706

Another good find and location identification!

There is an interesting article about the "Doomed streets of Sydney" which has a wonderful description of the people we see in these Rocks photos and the so-called Demolition Books of Sydney City Council. It also has several pictures of Clyde Street which seemed to have been a favourite with photographers and artists before its demolition. scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=64 Another thing which strikes me about this series by the unnamed photographer, is that the subjects are shown as beautiful, clean, light, almost idyllic - far from the rat infested slums and dark satanic mills. The photographer had a very artistic eye and an interest in recording the commonplace, even the people who lived there. These images do not LOOK like a State Government record !

What can I say, beachcomberaustralia, I'm speechless! You have a good eye for the small details.

The City of Sydney Archives and Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority should be able to help you out with the latest date at which this would have been taken. CoSA & SHFA both have similar images in their collections. The demolitions in the area mainly happened due to the plague clearing in the area in the early 20th century. I would at a guess say that these images were taken between 1900-1910. The street was photographed for the demolition books in 1901 and is image 000/00077 in Archive Pix

So glad you have posted this to Flickr - I have been looking for it here all week, because it is yet another photo which very closely matches a ca.1902 painting by Julian Ashton -



In the news currently due to the Historic Houses Trust exhibition "Painting The Rocks' -
www.hht.net.au/whats_on/exhibitions/exhibitions/painting_...

Apart from the history (this picturesque corner of Millers Point was demolished to make way for Hickson Road), this is a wonderful photo with amazing composition, curves and perspectives. How to make old 'slums' look beautiful . John Degotardi Jnr photographer?

A certain someone, who will remain nameless [ahem], might just have made a special request.

There was another J. Duggan, Butcher in Cumberland Street.

pellethepoet Thanks pellethepoet, pellethesaint !

...wait for two other special requests tomorrow!