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tower of Holtermann’s mansion in North Sydney to
make a 22 part panorama of Sydney Harbour and sub-
urbs. The glass plates were each 55.8 × 45.7 centimetres
and when the prints were joined together they formed
a view almost ten metres long. The “Holtermann Pan-
orama” was exhibited in the USA and Europe winning
competition medals at the Philadelphia Centennial of
1876 and the Paris Exposition Universelle Internatio-
nale in 1878.
Daintree’s and Holtermann’s promotion of their colo-
nies’ virtues led to the commissioning of photographers
by the Government Printing Offi ce’s in other Australian
colonies. Some of the most interesting views were made
for exhibition in inter-colonial and overseas exhibitions,
and for presentation to politicians and foreign dignitar-
ies. None of the government photographs were for sale
to the public so as not to interfere with the commercial
views trade.
Photographically illustrated books were produced
from the early 1860s on diverse scientifi c topics such as
medicine, astronomy, geology, natural history, anthro-
pology and expeditions, replacing the publishing norm
of intaglio and lithographic plates with real photographs.
The most outstanding book of its kind is the Narrative
of the Expedition of the Australian Squadron to the
South–East Coast of New Guinea, October to December,
1884 , published by Thomas Richards, NSW Govern-
ment Printer in 1885. The 35 photographs recording the
proclamation of the British Protectorate on 6 November
1884 were taken by Augustine Dyer (w. 1873–1923) and
John Paine (w. 1873–91).
Charles Nettleton (1826–1902), a regular exhibitor
at colonial exhibitions from 1868 specialised in view
photographs which he sold in albums. Nettleton was
also an offi cial penal photographer from the 1870s.
He made full length cdv portraits of the bushrangers
Harry Power in 1870 and ten years later of outlaw Ed-
ward “Ned” Kelly. On the day prior to his execution at
Pentridge Goal on 11 November 1880, Kelly asked that
“his photograph [be] taken by a departmental operator
and copies [will] be given to his friends” (Argus, 11
November 1880).
An Australian icon then and now, following his
capture at Glenrowan on 28 June 1880, Ned Kelly
had been tried and sentenced to death by hanging. His
‘gang’—three young men aged in their twenties—died
in “The Glenrowan Inn,” after it was set on fi re by the
police. The next day, the scorched and smoke blackened
corpse of Joe Byrne, which had been dragged clear of
the fi re, was brought to Benalla and strung up on the
door of the police lock-up for photography. J. W. Lindt
photographed his colleague Arthur W. Burman (w.
1878–96) at his grisly work.
Live-action photographs of the fi re at the hotel,
its smoky progress and aftermath were taken by the
unknown Oswald Thomas Madeley (w. 1880) who
set his tripod up in the midst of the police siege. A set
of nineteen photographs is held in the Copyright Col-
lection, La Trobe Library, State Library of Victoria. It
seems Madeley sold the rights to some of these dramatic
images to James E. Bray (w. 1865–91) of Beechworth
and to Burman who together made cdvs from Madeley’s
negatives selling them under each other’s imprint.
Introduced in 1880, the dry plate provided greater
freedom and fl exibility for portraiture, enabling prepara-
tion of plates in advance, as well as a lighter load when
travelling outdoors.
Victorian Nicholas Caire (1837–1918) was a spe-
cialist landscape photographer “in search of the pic-
turesque.” Always scouting for sites within striking
distance of Melbourne, he specialised in fern gully
scenes around Healesville sparking a new interest by the
public in recreational tourism and the outdoors. J. W.
Lindt also specialised in views of the fern-tree gullies
and bush around Fernshaw. In 1887 landscape photo-
graphs by Bayliss, Lindt and Caire were lithographically
reproduced in colour from original negatives by the
Sydney printers Phillip-Stephan (1887–1910).
A new nationalism in photography and landscape
painting arose from the late 1880s. By the end of the
century, souvenir photographs, photolithographs and
postcards could be bought of the new tourist routes
opened up by railways.
Amateur photographic societies were founded in
1885 in South Australia and Queensland allowing a new
group of amateurs to exhibit their work in local and inter-
colonial competitions. Photographic magazines like the
Australian Photographic Journal founded in 1886, and
others, greatly increased the interest in photography.
Around 1890 silver bromide gelatine coated papers
were introduced allowing prints to be developed more
quickly. Pictorial photographers such as John Kauff-
mann (1864–1942) used bromide paper for soft-focus
photographs which were “mistaken for works of art.”
(South Australian Register, 19 October 1901) Kauffman
had witnessed the Pictorial movement in Europe and was
an early convert. He operated a successful business in
Melbourne until the mid 1930s.
The Kodak pocket camera was released in Australia
in 1896. It was aimed at the snapshot photographer,
rather than the true amateurs who were used to darkroom
developing, printing and toning their work. Women were
encouraged to take up snap-shot photography to provide
“an outlet for the dormant artistic tendencies locked up
in the minds of so many women” (Australian Photo-
graphic Journal, 20 April 1897). The earliest known
female amateur was Louisa Elizabeth How (1821–93)
who made an album of salted paper prints from 1857–59.
Only twelve women are recorded as working as profes-
sionals during the late 1850s and 1860s. Some operated