Bernard Otto Holtermann with the world's largest "nugget" of gold, North Sydney, 1874-1876, albumen print from composite photographs by Charles Bayliss & Beaufoy Merlin [attributed]

Three photographs were used to create this image of Holtermann, (supposedly holding the worlds' largest accumulation of rock and gold ever brought to the surface in one piece). He was posed in the studio with his hand on a headclamp, the nugget was inserted and both placed on a photograph of the verandah of his mansion, built from the proceeds of his goldmine. The "nugget" was found in Hill End, New South Wales on 19th October 1872. More than half of the 630 lbs weight was pure gold, value 12,000 pounds ($24,000). With gold worth say $1400 per ounce, the value today would be over $A7,000,000. Amazingly Holtermann's mine had already made him rich before the discovery of this boulder and there was reputed to be an even larger aggregate in the mine!

 

State Library of New South Wales, P1/766, archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110344050

 

 

Done