Circular Quay from Dawes Point, Sydney Harbour

Photographer William Hall Photographic Studio

Datec 1890

Object numberANMS1092[228]

NameGlass plate negative

MediumEmulsion on glass

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mr and Mrs Glassford

Terms

DescriptionA collection of glass plate and nitrate negatives, some by the William Hall photographic studio. This image shows early buildings such as the Mercantile Rowing Club boatshed (front left), Customs House, the Metropole Hotel and the early fortification wall at Dawes Point.HistoryWilliam James Hall (b. 1877) was a gifted photographer who documented the weekend sailors and yachts of Sydney Harbour from his motor boat. On Mondays, Hall would display photographs in the window of his Hunter Street Studio. Although Hall was not a sailor he maintained a keen interest in sailing and sailing craft. His images are a personal record of the recreational life of Sydney Harbour and its environs from the late 19th century and first half of the 20th century. The donor Roderick Winchcombe Glassford (1920-1995) commenced work with Macdonald Hamilton & Co, agents for P&O in the 1930s. During World War Two he served in the Coast Artillery at South Head, acheiving the rank of Captain. He returned to work with Macdonald Hamilton and became a Passenger Superintendent with P&O. Deeply interested in maritime history, Glassford owned a yacht and was a prolific collector of objects and books. With the decline in passenger ships from the 1970s, he managed the Art Gallery society and was involved in early efforts to form the first Sydney Maritime Museum.SignificanceWilliam Hall's photographs of Sydney Harbour are an important collection of Australian maritime history.