Monthly Archive for June, 2008

This image was taken at dawn during stage 2 development of the Museum. Originally we were called the Technological Museum and situated beside the Sydney Technical College in Harris St but in 1945 we were renamed the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and required more exhibition space and storage facility. In 1979 the government decided that the Museum needed to relocate further down Harris St to the Ultimo power station that had been derelict since 1963. The Museum opened in its current location, built in and around the shell of the old Ultimo power station, on 10 March 1988. The Ultimo power station dates back to 1899 when it was built to power Sydney’s electric tram system, which ceased operations in 1963.

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This image titled ‘George Street by Church Hill’, Kerry and Co, Sydney, Australia, c. 1884-1917, from our Tyrrell photographic collection, went to the Commons project on Flickr yesterday. One member has made a note on the image that the hotel on the right hand side of the image was Leon’s Family Hotel that later came to be known as the Star Hotel. If you use the zoom function on our collection search and go right in on the detail of the image you can clearly read all the signs on the buildings, see what people are wearing and you can just make out the street sign on the side of Leon’s Family Hotel that reads Queens Place.

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This was taken in the Museum’s Transport Gallery during Further, faster, higher: a sound and light experience. This show experiments with sound and lighting effects and projected images which makes it a great place to photograph. The show is linked by the voice of famous aviatrix Nancy Bird Walton who founded the Australian Women’s Pilot Association. For an insight into her life read the ABC’s interview between George Negus and Nancy Bird Walton.

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Photography by Jean-François Lanzarone.
License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0

This image was taken in the Inspired! Design Across Time exhibition. . It was shot using available light, a 17mm lens and a tripod. The focus of the exhibition view is the design of the graphic wall panels, the columns and the curved roof. This shot shows the interior architecture in our Inspired gallery. To see some of the objects that are featured in this gallery you can go to our Collection and research tool.

File #00z13200.

Photography by Jean-François Lanzarone.
License: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0

This image titled Ladies’ toboggan race, Kerry and Co, Sydney, Australia, c. 1884-1917 is one of the images from our Tyrrell photographic collection that was posted to the Commons project on Flickr. last week. It has already been viewed 48 times, received 18 tags and two rather interesting comments. One of our contacts has posted a comment suggesting this image is a studio set up and not actually shot in the snow at all.

She says:

Students of Victorian photo art history might find this of interest – this looks suspiciously like a tourist set up studio style photo – they were becoming very popular in the late Victorian era. Clues are: the unruffled hats and tidy bows, neatly turned out fashionable day wear dresses, with lace, women in stays and perhaps even corsets, and not sports clothing. The group shows no signs of exertion, or cold weather sporting. Very similar to other tourist photos using false scene backdrops in studios – EX: families sitting in boats with tropical ocean scene behind them. British Queen Alexandra & daughters made one of that style in late 1880s – Also suspect is the difference in perspective and resolution from the men and buildings in the background in respect to the subjects in the foreground. Wonder if anyone else noticed – Pam Eisenberg, photo archivist – OC Register, Santa Ana, CA

They do look suspiciously composed and together after traveling down a slope on a toboggan. What do you think?

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