SS ORONSAY P&O Orient Lines (28,000 tons)

Photographer John Richard 'Jack' Tyrrell Richardson

Datec 1960

Object numberANMS1125[166]

NamePostcard

MediumPhotographic print on paper

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Patricia Grace

Terms

DescriptionSS ORONSAY P&O-Orient Lines (28,000 tons)HistoryJohn Richard 'Jack' Tyrrell Richardson was a prolific commercial and illustrative photographer from the 1940s to the 1970s. Along with business partner Jack C Young, Richardson set up the photographic studio Young & Richardson (or J C Young & Richardson) at 133 Walker Street North Sydney in the 1950s. In addition to running his studio, Richardson undertook freelance work and had a keen interest in photographing passenger ships as they entered Sydney Harbour. He would take photos of the ships from the north shore, go back to his studio and develop them, then board the ship to sell them to passengers through the official ship store. Richardson’s photographs were popular with the ship’s passengers, particularly when the image included the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and later, the Sydney Opera House under construction. John Richardson photographed a range of passenger ships including ARAMAC, CHUSAN, CANBERRA, EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, STRATHMORE, ORONSAY, IBERIA, ARCADIA, ORCADES, HIMALAYA, ORSOVA, ORIANA, ORION, GALILEO GALILEI, STRATHAIRD, ORION, STRATHNAVER, STRATHEDEN and the barquentine Chilean naval training ship ESMERALDA. Richardson later carried out his freelance photography from the Richard McKinney Studio based at 64 Regent Street, Sydney and later 165 Broadway, Sydney. His photographs are held in local, state and national collecting institutions, including the North Sydney Heritage Centre; the Powerhouse Museum; State Library of New South Wales; National Gallery of Victoria; and the National Library of Australia.SignificanceThis item is part of the collection of John Richardson, a professional photographer who photographed passenger ships in Sydney Harbour from 1959 to the 1970s. Richardson's important work also recorded a range of Sydney Harbour waterfront developments such as the construction of the Sydney Opera House. The image on this postcard is credited to 'Beken & Son', a photographic studio that was established in the late 1800s in Cowes, England and specialised in naval and waterfront images.