P&O liner CANBERRA completing her turn around at the entrance to Sydney Cove, with the nearly complete Sydney Opera House in the background

Photographer John Richard 'Jack' Tyrrell Richardson

Datec 1960

Object numberANMS1125[096]

NamePhotograph

MediumPhotograph print on paper

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Patricia Grace

Terms

DescriptionFrom the collection of black and white photographs of passenger ships in Sydney Harbour from 1959 to the 1970s by professional photographer John Richardson.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.SignificanceThe John Richardson photographic collection is an important record of the passenger liners and cruise ships in Sydney Harbour from the late 1950s to the 1970s. Produced and sold as souvenirs, the photographs are an excellent example of the work of a professional commercial photographer during this period. The photographic collection illustrates the development in passenger ship design over a 20 year period, as well as a range of Sydney Harbour waterfront developments, particularly the construction of the Sydney Opera House between 1959 and 1973.

They are highly competent artistic views by a photographer who is represented in Australian collecting institutions at local, state and national levels. They are also a record of what was a popular momento for cruise ship passengers entering Sydney Harbour.