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85/1284-2154 Glass negative, half plate, entitled 'St. Ignatius Regatta', depicting a rowing regatta on the Lane Cove River, Sydney, for students of St Ignatius College, Riverview, photograph by Kerry and Co, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, c.1910. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 1, 85/1284-2154 Glass negative, half plate, entitled 'St. Ignatius Regatta', depicting a rowing regatta on the Lane Cove River, Sydney, for students of St Ignatius College, Riverview, photograph by Kerry and Co, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, c.1910. Click to enlarge

Glass plate negative of St Ignatius College regatta, Riverview, Sydney, c.1910

Made
This image from a glass plate negative produced around 1910 shows Regatta Day for the pupils and parents of St Ignatius College, Riverview, on Sydney's Lane Cove River. In the scene are several steam yachts, perhaps owned by wealthy parents, a few motor launches and many skiffs, complete with rowers in bowler hats and women with parasols.

Graeme Andrews OAM, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences volunteer under the supervision of Margaret Simpson, Curator, October 2015

This photographic …

This object is part of

85/1284 Glass plate negatives, various subjects, silver gelatin / glass, published by Kerry & Co, part of the Tyrrell collection, New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, 1890-1917
Kerry & Co. photographs from the Tyrrell Collection
1884-1917

Summary

Object No.

85/1284-2154

Object Statement

Glass negative, half plate, entitled 'St. Ignatius Regatta', depicting a rowing regatta on the Lane Cove River, Sydney, for students of St Ignatius College, Riverview, photograph by Kerry and Co, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, c.1910

Physical Description

Glass negative, half plate, entitled 'St. Ignatius Regatta', depicting a rowing regatta on the Lane Cove River, Sydney, for students of St Ignatius College, Riverview, photograph by Kerry and Co., Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, c.1910

Silver gelatin dry plate glass negative in landscape format. The image depicts Saint Ignatius College regatta on Lane Cove River. Numerous row boats are depicted in the foreground and background of the image. The boats are occupied by a mixture of students and adult men and women. Most of the people are looking away from the camera in the same general direction. Their exact focus is unknown. Steamers can be seen in the background of the image. Steam ferries can be seen at what appears to be a wharf in the background of the image in the upper left side. A paddle steamer and small steam vessel can also be seen on the left side of the image. Buildings can be seen on the land depicted in the background of the image. The caption, studio mark and number are inscribed on the reverse of the negative.

67A/61 Tyrrell Inventory Number, 660 Kerry Studio Number

Marks

Studio number, caption and studio mark inscribed in plate emulsion verso, lower right position in ink '660. St Ignatius Regatta. / K & Co'NATIONAL / ART GALLERY'.Caption decorated with hand emebllishments in plate emulsion verso, in ink.Studio mark inscribed in plate emulsion verso, lower right position in ink 'K & CO.'Etched into plate emulsion verso by hand, along bottom edge '631 National Art Gallery'.

Short URL

https://ma.as/28818

Dimensions

Width

165 mm

Production

Made

Made

Notes

Charles Kerry was born in 1858 and by 1885 was running a studio in partnership with C. D. Jones. This partnership lasted until 1892, when Charles became sole owner and changed the studio's name to Kerry and Co.

By 1890 the company was employing a number of photographers who would become famous in their own right. George Bell who covered rural New South Wales was employed in 1890 and Harold Bradley was doing outdoor work and covering events around Sydney by 1899.

Kerry continued to work in the field and in 1895 he took photographs of Royal National Park for New South Wales Government, photographed Queensland artesian bores and was employed by the New South Wales Government to travel the state and photograph Indigenous Australians. In 1897 Kerry led the first party to reach the summit of Mt Kosciuszko in winter conditions and photographed the Jenolan caves.

By 1900 Kerry had turned his studio into one of the largest and most respected photographic establishments in the colony. His new four story premises at 310 George St were designed by the architect H. C. Kent and the third floor studios alone could accommodate 70 people wanting their portraits taken.

In 1913 Kerry retired leaving the running of the studio to his nephew, unfortunately the business did not do well and Kerry and Co. closed its doors in 1917. Kerry himself died in 1928.

Geoff Barker, Curatorial, January, 2009

References
Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988
David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981
Tyrrell, James, Australian Aboriginal and South Sea Islands Implements, Weapons and Curios, James Tyrrell, Sydney, 1929

History

Used

Used

Used

Used

Used

Notes

This photographic negative is one of 2900 Kerry & Co. photographs in the Powerhouse Museum's 'Tyrrell Collection' once owned by Sydney bookseller, James Tyrrell. Almost all of these negatives are 21.5 x 20.3 cm (10 x 8 inch) glass plates and many of those now held by the Powerhouse Museum collection would have been used to create postcards. In addition to the Kerry & Co. Studio images, the Tyrrell Collection at the Powerhouse Museum includes glass plate negatives published by Henry King and a number of other negatives by unattributed photographers

James Tyrrell used the images by Kerry & Co. and Henry King to produce his own booklets and views of New South Wales but although full of iconic Australian images, the collection does not appear to have been fully utilised by Tyrrell.

In 1980 the collection was purchased by Australian Consolidated Press who published a limited series of 2000 contact prints from the collection. Housed in boxes copies of these were given to the State Library of New South Wales and the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney.

In 1985 Australian Consolidated Press donated the collection to the Powerhouse keeping a set of copy prints for themselves. The collection at this time consisted of 7,903 glass plate negatives and 7,916 contact positive prints.

A further 2,500 Kerry & Co. negatives are held in the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney, although these do not appear to have been acquired from Charles Kerry and Co. by Tyrrell.

Geoff Barker, Curatorial, January, 2009

References
Newton, Gael, Shades of Light; Photography and Australia 1839 - 1988, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1988
David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981
Tyrrell, James, Australian Aboriginal and South Sea Islands Implements, Weapons and Curios, James Tyrrell, Sydney, 1929

Cite this Object

Harvard

Glass plate negative of St Ignatius College regatta, Riverview, Sydney, c.1910 2022, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 8 June 2023, <https://ma.as/28818>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/28818 |title=Glass plate negative of St Ignatius College regatta, Riverview, Sydney, c.1910 |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=8 June 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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