A collection of images of Brisbane shot by local photographer Alfred Elliott between 1890 and 1940 will soon be exhibited at Brisbane City Hall.
A collection of rare images of early Brisbane shot by photography enthusiast Alfred Elliott from 1890 to 1940 is exhibiting at the Museum of Brisbane from February 13. They offer an amazing visual portrait of a lost city - Brisbane at the turn of the 20th century - through a rare collection, all shot by a single resident. The images were left under an inner-city house for decades.
‘The view from here: The photographic world of Alfred Elliott 1890-1940’ will showcase the life’s work of the Brisbane-based photographer. It illustrates the places he visited, major events he witnessed and glimpses into his family life. The historic collection of glass-plate and film negatives remained stored in cigar boxes under a house in the Brisbane suburb of Red Hill until they were uncovered in 1983 and acquired by Museum of Brisbane.
The curators say that for the past 30 years ‘The Elliott Collection’ was thought to comprise 285 glass plate negatives, until a neglected cigar box with more than 400 film negatives was uncovered at the museum’s storage facility last year.
This discovery has allowed the museum to further piece together fragments of the passionate amateur photographer’s past. The collection provides a window into both his life and the life of a quickly changing city. Elliott’s work also captures significant moments in Brisbane’s history, including the Duke and Duchess of York’s visit in 1901 and the farewell of the troops aboard SS Cornwall from Pinkenba in 1899. Museum of Brisbane Director Peter Denham said the collection was an exceptional record of one man’s perspective of Brisbane at a very exciting time.
Museum of Brisbane is open daily from 10am to 5pm on Level 3 of Brisbane City Hall. Entry is free. ‘The view from here’ will run until August 30. For more information visit museumofbrisbane.com.au.
Image by Alfred Elliott, The View From Here, Museum of Brisbane.
Image by Alfred Elliott, The View From Here, Museum of Brisbane.
Image by Alfred Elliott, The View From Here, Museum of Brisbane.
} Image by Alfred Elliott, The View From Here, Museum of Brisbane.
Images of Brisbane between 1890 and 1940, taken by local photographer Alfred Elliott, will be on show at the Museum of Brisbane soon.
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