Woodchopping competition, Ballarat, circa 1910.

A$125 · Offered by Douglas Stewart Fine Books

Gelatin silver print photograph, 155 x 205 mm, laid down on an old album page; no photographer s imprint; verso inscribed in pencil in a modern hand Wood cutting competition, Ballarat ; this inscription by the previous owner was based on original inscriptions on other photographs removed from the album, which were all taken in the Ballarat area; note that the album page has been split , meaning that the photograph on the verso has been carefully separated from the page; the gelatin print is in superb condition. In this marvellous outdoor photograph, a group of around 50 men, women, and children are seated in the middle of a paddock. They are dressed in their Sunday best, most of the women sporting elegant hats. The woodchop contestants stand on their blocks in a ring behind them, posed for the camera with their axes at the ready for the standing block chop . The clarity of the detail in this image perhaps taken by a talented amateur photographer is quite phenomenal, and captures the communal merriment of what was perhaps an Easter Sunday festival. A great piece of Ballarat social history.

• Binding: Hardcover

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