mosmanbay

WOW! PowerhouseMuseum, I think you have a gem in your hands! This is one of the early footbridges (looking east) across Mosman Bay on the north shore of Sydney Harbour. The run-down buildings are part of the original whaling station; no longer there, except for 'The Barn', out of shot. See www.afloat.com.au/afloat-magazine/2008/august-2008/Mosman... for more footbridge information. More importantly, the buildings are in the famous Tom Roberts painting of "Mosman's Bay" 1894. See save-mosmans-bay.com/painting.html and an enlargement save-mosmans-bay.com/images/Mosmans Bay-1.jpg . The photograph and the painting seem to be at a similar time (1894) judging from the similar costumes and lack of other buildings. There are a lot of pictures in this collection of Mosman and Cremorne. Could it be that the photographer knew Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, and others at the artists' camp at Little Sirius Cove just over the hill behind? A huge leap of the imagination, I know, but what if those people, who are appearing in several group shots, are Streeton, Roberts, etc.?!

There are several discrepancies, which I suppose you put down to artistic licence. For instance a missing chimney and wharf wooden railings on the painting. The painting also has a large black (incongruous imho) sign in front of the buildings - the back of it shows up here on the persistent URL magnification. The more I research, the more I have a hunch that a lot of these pictures were taken by Tom Roberts, who is described as an artist AND photographer. The same-ish group of people and boats pop up in many photographs - they are obviously friends of the photographer, and 'pose' for the pictures looking directly at the camera (except the women!). Many of the picures are beautifully composed, like a painting. I am having no luck (yet) getting a match with faces from biographical websites. Presuming Tom Roberts is behind the camera, but the other men could include Arthur Streeton, Charles Conder, Fred McCubbin, Girolamo Nerdi, AH Fulwood, Julian Ashton, etc. HELP NEEDED please from an expert! More about the Heidelberg School, links to paintings and biographies: www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/heidelbergschool...

A painting by Albert Henry Fullwood (1863-1930) "Mosman's Bay" [ca.1904] clearly showing the bridge, looking north up the bay: nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an2288936

Here's another photograph of the bridge, bay, and buildings viewed from up the hill to the left: www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=385883

beachcomberaustralia - you are corerct about the location. It is Mosman Bay. The are some very good comparison photographs in the collection of Mosman Library. Go the this search page: www.photosau.com/Mosman/scripts/home.asp and search for these image numbers as keywords: 4016964 4017069 4022561 4022578

This is a very interesting photograph. How did the youth get to his position without getting his clothes unduly wet? What is he doing there in a suit, collar, necktie and bowler hat? His suit jacket is too large for him, he is holding it closed with overlapping front to disguise this fact. So, it was probably not his. The branch below his feet was probably the route he used to climb into position without crossing the surrounding streams. The branch has also probably been sawn the tree just above his head and the stump of same diameter is above and to the left of his head. The photographer and subject have put a good deal of work into creating this photograph. See discussion about the location of this photograph in the Tyrell Today group here: www.flickr.com/groups/684897@N24/discuss/72157605325032056/ See a present day comparison photograph of this location in the Tyrell Today group here: www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum_photography/26152...

Oh, and I just noticed that Henry King gives it a title, "MOSSMANS BAY FALLS" which matches the idiosyncratic spelling which Charles Bayliss used here: nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3297333 as opposed to the "Mosman" Bay Falls of the caption here on Flickr.

That's what I thought you were doing.

ADDED: I've just discovered by clicking through to your collection database via the persistent URL that in this isolated case the original spelling has not been retained there. "85/1285-3 Glass negative, full plate, 'Mosmans Bay Falls', Henry King, Sydney, Australia, c. 1880-1900" Nowhere currently in the rest of the online record text is the original spelling "Mossmans bay" retained. The reason I returned here to make another comment was to make a case for both spellings accompanying the image. The reason is it makes for deeper and more worthwhile results when searching Picture Australia for comparison and contemporary images. The result with "mossmans bay" is this: www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?term1=moss... (for a total 13 images) and the result with "mosman bay" is this: www.pictureaustralia.org/apps/pictureaustralia?term1=mosm... (for a total 155 images) Both very worthwhile, but very different results. The former helps me to find comparison images quickly. The latter, while encompassing the few images comparison images in which I'm interested, also inculdes more than 140 in which I am not. Apart from that indexing matter, historically it's Interesting to note that "Mossman's Bay" was obviously a commonly used term of the 1800's which is now not used. It also made its' way onto maps: nla.gov.au/nla.map-rm1278

Holala il est courageux!!!!

Compare with this photo (not yet on Flickr) (Phillips Collection PhM) - from.ph/385883

Suggestiva molto bella! complimenti!!

Les vieilles photos sont des merveilles

beachcomber australia The PhM image certainly looks later, no fence or larger dwellings in the background in this photo. Great comparison pics.

Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons Yes, and the road is more built up. I think this one is likely to be early 1890s. Mosman Bay (aka Mossman - for searches) was a favourite subject for almost every artist and photographer at the time, due to the regular ferry service, and the artist's camp at nearby Sirius Cove. The footbridge is in another Phillips Collection (PhM) photo which first aroused my interest in these old photographs - see the youthful over-enthusiastic comments here ...