Summary

Photographic album titled: 'Souvenir of the visit of the Federal Parliamentary Party to the Northern Territory April-May 1912'. Content of the album largely relates to people and places visited in the Northern Territory in 1912, including flora, fauna and modes of travel. Includes additional photographs from New South Wales and Queensland.

It was produced by James Pinkerton Campbell, a Victorian photographer. The NT Library and Archives 'Territory Stories' entry for this album states:

'This talented photographer had been recently appointed as the first official photographer to the Department of External Affairs and he had accompanied the parliamentarians and recorded their activities with both still and moving photography. It would appear that it was Campbell's initiative to prepare and present the souvenir album to the Minister (Josiah Thomas) and that he probably did this in January 1913 when he also wrote to the Minister requesting that his salary for his second year with the Department be increased from £200 to £310 pa. The Minister very correctly told Campbell to refer the salary request to the Department Secretary who deferred the matter, but wrote to Campbell saying ".the Minister desires 3 albums similar to that you made for him. These are for the Governor General and the Governors of New South Wales and South Australia." Whether Campbell's breach of protocol in directly approaching the Minister for a raise was a factor is not known, but the supervisor of the photographic department contrived to find several other reasons why Campbell should be dismissed rather than given a raise. A letter from the Secretary dated 11th April 1913 advised Campbell that "after the completion of business you have on hand - including the Albums of Northern Territory views, the Department will have no further need for your services." [ NAA: A1, 1913/14458 (http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=16281) (Contributed by Michael Nicholls, Rapid Creek, NT. 21 December 2011]

Physical Description

Large dark green cloth covered album of 24 sheets of card joined with dark green cord, with edges and spine worn. Photographs adhered to card on both sides with 2 or 5 to a page. Handwritten captions in ink throughout album identifying images. A printed label is adhered to the inside front cover of the album, with a title reflecting the content and a date.

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