PHOTOGRAPHY CAPTURES GEELONG’S EYE

The 1863 Geelong Industrial Exhibition captured Geelong’s attention with thousands attending. One of the exhibits captured the attention by improving the quality of photographic images. It also served to draw attention to the increasing wealth within the community.

Large albumen prints of the 1860s were typically rich brown-purple in tone and glossy. They were sold for framing or for compilation in albums.

A new photographic process, called sennotype, arrived in Geelong in 1863.
It was brought to Australia by an American, Charles Wilson, who applied to the Victorian Attorney-General for a patent of the process in August 1862. Subsequently, Wilson authorised Henry Frith, of Melbourne, and Messrs Solomon and Bardwell, of Ballarat, to use his sennotype process.

The sennotype photographic process involved two albumen prints, one waxed transparent print placed over one hand-colored identical print, mounted with glass plate, to give a three-dimensional, life-like effect.

Although from Ballarat, Solomon and Bardwell, entered examples of their sennotype portraits at the Geelong Industrial Exhibition. It was opened by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barkly, and held in the hall of the Mechanics’ Institute. The Exhibition ran for about a month – from late December 1862 until the end of January 1863.

The Geelong Chronicle informed its readers that the exhibits of this novel process ‘combine the accuracy of the daguerrotype with the depth and relief of an oil painting’. Another review pronounced that sennotypes ‘have the brilliancy of a painting on ivory’. It went on to say that ‘they have only one fault, which ladies will probably look over – they flatter immensely’.

Over its five week run, the Geelong Industrial Exhibition attracted 13,000 visitors. The photographers received a certificate of merit from the judges for their sennotype portraits.
Solomon and Bardwell also set up temporary photographic chambers in Ryrie Street to meet the expected local demand for the new photographs. ‘Word of mouth’ from visitors must have been swift because many orders came in to the temporary office. They announced by advertisement that they ‘have more orders in hand than can be completed for several days’. They also took portraits of many notables in Geelong (presumably for free) and displayed them at their chambers. The portraits were, no doubt, useful advertisements for their product.

Despite the Industrial Exhibition closing at the end of January 1863, the photographers were kept busy until April, when they closed their temporary Geelong chambers and returned to Ballarat.

By then, several Geelong photographers were advertising that they could offer the public an ‘improved’ sennotype photograph. While they could not advertise a sennotype photograph because that was under patent; presumably a photograph made by an ‘improved’ process was fair game!