AUSTRALIA - SYDNEY AND CRICKET

Photographs. New South Wales [-Panoramic Views of the City of Sydney and Harbour, New South Wales], 2 vol., Sydney, Charles Potter, Government Printer, 1896

Footnotes

SPECTACULAR PAIR OF PRESENTATION ALBUMS, including eleven panoramas depicting the 16th Ashes series and topographical views.

The albums were presented to Lady Darley, the wife of Sir Frederick Darley (1830-1910) who briefly served as acting Governor of New South Wales from March to November 1895. Darley also held the roles of Chief Justice and Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, and participated in the ceremonial founding of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Lady Darley founded the Fresh Air League, supported nursing and children's causes, and developed a talent for 'spirit drawing'.

This is one of a handful of similar presentation albums produced by the NSW Government around this time: the NSW State Library holds a 1900 presentation album to the 7th Earl Beauchamp which also includes 100 photographs (dating from 1879–1892) but no panoramas; whilst Lady Carrington's presentation album, 1886, is in Western Sydney Records Centre, with half the number of photographs and again without panoramas.

Whilst the photographs are uncredited, many can be attributed to the highly successful Sydney commercial photographers John Paine and Charles Bayliss. The first volume includes images of: the bays and quays of Sydney; the Botanic Gardens before and after the destruction of the International Exhibition's Garden Palace; numerous government and private buildings; churches and colleges (6); hospitals (6); street scenes (12); and areas further afield such as the Nepean River, Orange, and Newcastle (21). A full list is available.

Panoramas in the second volume comprise:

(i) Panorama of the City and Harbour of Sydney, from north Sydney, N.S.W. (320 x 1810mm.)
(ii) Panorama of Sydney looking E. from Tower of General Post Office (325 x 1300mm.)
(iii) Panorama of Sydney looking W. from Tower of General Post Office (325 x 1280mm.)
(iv) Untitled view with Lands Office in foreground (265 x 1720mm.)
(v) Untitled view over Garden Palace Grounds (260 x 1720mm.)
(vi) Sydney International Exhibition (260 x 1860mm.)
(vii) Sydney N.S. Wales 1888 [view over Garden Palace Grounds] (270 x 1340mm.)
(viii) Untitled view of the Royal Agricultural Show at Moore Park (295 x 2010mm.)
(ix) Stoddart's Team vs. Combined Australia, First Test Match 1895 (320 x 1300m.)
(x) Untitled view of the Fifth Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, 1-6 March 1895 (325 x 1260mm.)
(xi) Untitled view of the Zig-Zag Railway, Blue Mountains (375 x 750mm.)

The England cricket team toured Australia and Ceylon in 1894-95, captained by Andrew Stoddart. Five Test matches were played, and England won 3-2. The First Test, won by England, was the first of only three tests in history to be won by a side forced to follow on.

Provenance: Lady Lucy Darley (1839-1913), printed presentation from the Government of New South Wales dated 16 March to 20 November 1895 facing title page; Swann Galleries, 27 April 1999, lot 2.