St. Kilda Beach [c.1862]

A$350 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

Stereoscopic albumen print photograph, each individual image 714 x 73 mm, on original card mount 83 x 175 mm; recto of mount imprinted Jones s photographs of Australian Sceneries and with a caption in ink: St. Kilda Beach ; verso blank; both prints are in good condition; the mount has some very light foxing. This stereoscopic photograph would undoubtedly be among the earliest known outdoor photographic views of the St. Kilda area of Melbourne. It was taken by John H. Jones as part of his Australian Sceneries series. Jones, formerly a travelling photographer (see below), settled in St. Kilda in late 1862, and he probably took this view looking south along the beach towards the Esplanade around this time. The beach is deserted, save for two small boats pulled up on the sand; it is tempting to imagine that the line of footprints in the foreground are those of the photographer himself. Another example of the same stereoview is held in the collection of the Bendigo Art Gallery (2009.38.105). The somewhat generically named Australian Sceneries series comprised a large number of views taken by travelling photographer John H. Jones, mostly prior to September 1862. Among other subjects these photographs document the early infrastructure of Victoria s railways, including some of the recently completed major engineering projects associated with the construction of the Melbourne to Bendigo railway line, which was officially opened at Bendigo on 20 October 1862 by the Governor of Victoria

• Binding: Hardcover

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