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Man purchasing from street vendor on wharf
Man purchasing from street vendor on wharf

Man purchasing from street vendor on wharf

Date1956-1957
Object numberANMS1493[004]
NameTransparency
MediumCellulose acetate transparency, colour
DimensionsOverall: 50 x 50 mm,
Image: 23 x 34 mm
Copyright© Dr Alex Byrne
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Alex Byrne
DescriptionOne of twelve colour photos of ANMS1493, this photograph was taken by the Australian immigration official John Hamilton Byrne in Trieste, Italy. Byrne directed an immigration office in Trieste that assessed refugees for potential migration to Australia. The photos are circa 1956 or 1957 and show migrants boarding the SS TOSCANA, a Lloyd Triestino vessel.HistoryThe SS Toscana was launched in Germany in 1923 as the SS Saarbrücken, and sold to the Italian government in 1935. The ship was used as a hospital ship during WWII and then sold to shipping company Lloyd Triestino in 1947 to be refit as a passenger liner. SS Toscana’s route was typically from Trieste to Sydney, usually stopping at Venice, Port Said, Aden, Colombo, Fremantle and Melbourne. Trieste, a port city in Italy’s northeast, was once the fourth-largest city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After WWI, Italy annexed the city. During World War II, the city was occupied by Nazi Germany until Yugoslav forces took over in mid-1945. In 1947 Trieste was declared an independent city state by the UN, which would last until 1954. Emigration from Trieste occurred in large numbers between 1954-1961, with an estimated 10% of the population leaving. The vast majority immigrated to Australia, on board vessels like the SS Toscana, often driven to leave due to the turbulent economic and political climate. Some of this migration fell under the Assisted Passage Scheme, which was extended to include Italians in 1951. SignificanceWhile propaganda and staged photographs of migrants preparing to travel to Australia are not unusual, these are photos taken spontaneously. Byrne still was able to frame his subject well, and the slides provide an excellent, concentrated overview over immigration in the 1950s in the city of Trieste.