Circa 1894 - "Bridge at Como, Illawarra [looking east]", Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (restored version)

RESTORATION INFO - Original digital image held in the New South Wales State Library online image collection. This copy was downloaded & restored by myself using Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 8.0 (with duo-tone enhancement) for public share via Flickr.

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CREDITS & COPYRIGHT

Credits go to -

(a) Star Photo Co. (1894-1928), the creator of the original image, &

(b) The Mitchell & State Libraries of New South Wales, for their valuable historic photograph digitization & archiving program(s).

 

The original image is no longer restricted by any form of Copyright, per State Library of New South Wales copyright advice -

"Out of Copyright

Reason for copyright status: Created/Published Date is Before 1955

Material type: Photograph

 

COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS:

This image may be used freely for research and review purposes. Further use may require permission. Please acknowledge that the image is from the collections of the State Library of New South Wales".

 

As for my own work in creating, enlarging & substantially restoring this unique version of the original image, the only Copyright form I have applied is "Attribution-Non Commercial Use-No Derivatives".

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IMAGE VIEW INFORMATION

The date of this image (and others taken by Star Photo Co. at the same time) is likely to be prior to approx. mid 1895, since J.H. Wills' first boatshed & access path (approved for construction in Dec 1894) has not yet been built just south of the southern rail bridge abutment on the western embankment (ie - the bare ground on right of the pic).

 

The view is looking east from where the Woronora River (coming in from the right of pic) meets the larger Georges River, west of the old rail bridge. Where the men are in the rowboat is not far from "Old Dick's" fisherman's hut. He was mentioned in an old newspaper article in the Australian Star (Sydney), dated Wednesday 17 Apr 1889, which I found in Trove, which reads (quote) -

 

"OLD DICK, OF COMO --

--- A good many visitors to Como who have enjoyed their visit to that locality have patronised old Dick, the fisherman, who has been on the George and Woronoo(sic) Rivers for over 50 years, and is regarded as the pioneer fisherman of the place. They will be sorry to hear that a few nights ago his fishing net was stolen, and his boat stove in by some ill-disposed persons, and that he is left without the means of subsistence. It is proposed to lend him a hand in his trouble, and the Como people have decided to subscribe for a new boat and net for "Old Dick", and it is hoped that Sydney people who have had many good days' outing with him will bear a hand. Mr George Agnew, of Como, will gladly supply further particulars or receive further subscriptions."

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ADDITIONAL HISTORIC INFORMATION

 

STAR PHOTO CO. was operated by the proprietor William Livermore (chief photographer). I found an early notice in the Daily Commercial News & Shipping List (Sydney) which shows the Star Photo Co. had imported 1 case of "pictures" (probably photographic glass plates) from Victoria, passing Customs on 3 Apr 1894. I would suggest that other biographical entries found on websites that claim the Star Photo Co. was only operational from 1898 would therefore appear to be incorrect. Clearly, the Co. was already actively engaged in the photographic business from at least as early as Apr 1894.

Done