The Holtermann Collection
From 1872 to 1875, Bernard Otto Holtermann, a successful gold miner and merchant, commissioned Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss of the American & Australasian Photographic Company (AAPC) to document towns in New South Wales and Victoria for the purpose of promoting the Australian colonies abroad and encouraging immigration.
Contemporary advertising for the AAPC proclaimed that, ‘the chief characteristic and distinguishing feature of the Company’s style of work is the introduction of figures into the photograph – the most complete and life-like portraits of individuals who happen, or may choose to stand outside, being incorporated into the picture’.
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This internationally significant photographic collection traces life in the goldfield towns of NSW and Victoria at the height of their occupancy. Holtermann and the photographers shared a determination to record every detail of activity in the towns. Images depict the rich business and domestic lives of miners and settlers, offering an unrivalled snapshot of these communities at the height of the gold boom.
Along with images of early Sydney and Melbourne, the collection includes the world's largest wet-plate negative (1.6 x 0.9 metres), revealing views across Sydney Harbour taken from a purpose-built tower studio at Holtermann's North Sydney home.
Due to the high use and historical importance of this collection, there has been a pressing need for the original glass negatives to be rescanned to improve the sharpness and legibility of the images. With the collaborative support of many generous benefactors, the Library will utilise new digital technologies to rescan from the original negatives and preserve them for future generations.
Hidden for over 130 years, the fine details captured by the camera are revealed.
B.O. Holtermann and blacksmiths at William Jenkyns, general blacksmith & shoeing forge, Hill End, ca. 1872, by AAPC, Wet plate negative, ON 4 Box 7/18715
