Three-masted ship JOSEPH CONRAD in Sydney Harbour

Photographer William James Hall (Australian, 1877 - 1951)

DateDecember 1935

Object numberANMS1092[098]

NameGlass plate negative

MediumEmulsion on glass

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mr and Mrs Glassford

Terms

HistoryThe iron-hulled sailing ship JOSEPH CONRAD was originally launched as GEORG STAGE in Copenhagen in 1882 as a training ship for young sailors of the Danish merchant service. The vessel was named as a memorial to the son of prominent ship owner Frederik Stage and could accommodate eighty cadets. GEORG STAGE worked as a training ship for the lengthy period of 52 years, with some 4,000 cadets sailing on the vessel during their six month training courses in the Baltic and North Seas. In 1934 GEORG STAGE was about to be broken up when Australian author and sailor Andrew Villiers bought the vessel, renaming it after his favourite author. Villiers sailed JOSEPH CONRAD around the world with a crew of mostly young sailors, visiting Australian shores in late 1935. Between 1936 and 1947 the vessel was sold several times before becoming part of the collection at the Mystic Seaport museum in Connecticut. SignificanceThe Hall photographic collection provides an important pictorial record of recreational boating in Sydney Harbour from the 1890s to the 1930s. The collection documents the lively sailing scene in Sydney during this period and features images of vessels ranging from large racing and cruising yachts to the great array of skiffs and the emerging technologies of motorboats. Images of many iconic vessels, such as JOSEPH CONRAD, are also included in this visual record.