Crew posing on board the four-masted steel barque JOHN ENA
Photographer
Samuel J Hood Studio
(Australian, 1899 - 1953)
Date1916-1919
Object number00035227
NameGlass plate negative
MediumEmulsion on glass
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis photograph depicts crewmen posing on board the four-masted steel barque JOHN ENA probably during its May 1916 visit to Sydney. Between 1900 and the 1950s, Sydney photographer Sam Hood took hundreds of photographs of ships and their crew for souvenirs of their visit or to send home to families. This photograph depicts one of the crew members holding a pet rabbit.HistoryThe four-masted steel barque JOHN ENA was built in 1892 by R Duncan and Company in Port Glasgow, Scotland. It was launched in July of the same year for San Francisco Shipping Company, Honolulu. It changed ownership several times over the years: in 1907 sold to A O Lorentzen of San Francisco, in 1915 sold to Rolph Navigation and Coal Company of San Francisco, in 1916 sold to Standard Oil Company of San Francisco for £75,000, in 1919 sold to Robert Dollar Company of San Francisco, in 1921 sold to J Boots of San Francisco and in 1925 sold to A F Mahony of San Francisco.
The vessel visited Australia numerous times throughout its career. In June 1895 it visited Port Germein in South Australia and visited the state again in December 1898 and June 1903. During its September 1895 visit to Newcastle, New South Wales, 12 seamen from the barque were charged with 'combining to disobey lawful commands'. They were sentenced to seven days' imprisonment with hard labour in Maitland Gaol. During its second visit to Newcastle in June 1901, one of the crew, Charlie Solinas committed suicide. At 11:23am on 16 May 1916, JOHN ENA arrived in Sydney from Melbourne with a load of oil from San Francisco. Another visit to Australia was made in 1919.
In 1926, the vessel was dismasted and in 1937 it was broken up at San Pedro in California.SignificanceThe Samuel J Hood photographic collection records an extensive range of maritime activity on Sydney Harbour, including sail and steam ships, crew portraits, crews at work, ship interiors, stevedores loading and unloading cargo, port scenes, pleasure boats and harbourside social activities from the 1890s through to the 1950s. They are also highly competent artistic studies and views - Hood was regarded as an important figure in early Australian photojournalism. Hood’s maritime photographs are one of the most significant collections of such work in Australia.
