Item MM 43239 Glass Negative - Child Sitting in Feeding Chair, Australia, circa 1890s - 1920s

Summary

Glass plate negative portrait of a small child eating in a feeding chair on a rug, most likely taken by studio photographer, Robert William Harvie.

This image may depict one of Mr Harvie's daughters or nephews, however, the identity of the child is unclear. The photograph appears to have been taken in a studio and therefore may have been taken in Mr Harvie's photography studio, Harvie & Sutcliffe. See MM 043240 for a similar glass negative.

Robert Harvie was a professional photographer who, with his business partner Albert Sutcliffe, owned a photography studio named Harvie & Sutcliffe between 1898 and 1908, located in the Cromwell Buildings, 366a Bourke Street, corner of Bourke and Elizabeth Streets, Melbourne.

The Harvie Collection includes examples of Robert Harvie's private and professional photographic practice. A number of the photographs depict the family life of four generations of the Harvie family, including the Lang family.

The Harvie and Lang families had social significance in Melbourne through their active involvement in early Australian vegetarian movements, early moving film, photography and architecture, as well as various other cultural societies and clubs in Melbourne.

Description of Content

A double exposure of two images of a small child seated in a feeding chair playing with cutlery, presumably taken in a studio in front of a white background. The child is dressed in a white long sleeved dress, white socks and black shoes and a small rug at their feet.

Physical Description

Glass plate negative, black and white, landscape format. Two exposures.