Summary

Glass plate negative portrait of studio photographer, Robert William Harvie, taken 10 days after his 29th birthday. Robert Harvie was born on the 3rd January 1868.

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.

During 1897, the year this photograph was taken, Mr Harvie partnered with fellow engineer, Ernest Thwaites, to record some of the earliest moving footage in Melbourne, of the Caulfield Cup, VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup races, and, remarkably, screened their footage the same night as they filmed each of the races. This was thought to be quite a feat at the time (The Argus, 18 Oct 1897, p3h).

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 bust portrait of a young man with a moustache. The young man faces forwards but looks towards the right of the image and is smartly dressed in a white shirt, dark tie, waistcoat and jacket.

Physical Description

Glass plate negative, black and white, portrait format.

More Information