Summary
Glass plate negative, double portrait exposure, of Mr McGhee and Mr Bennett in Australian military uniform, possibly taken by Melbourne photographer Mr Robert Harvie. It was probably taken during World War I.
Mr Bennett is possibly one of Robert Harvie's cousins. Harvie's aunt, Mary Elizabeth Lang, married Arthur William Henry Bennett and the inscription 'Bennett C.R (H?).' could possibly stand for Charles Harold Bennett, who was the son of Mary and Arthur, or another Bennett family member. Robert William 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 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.
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.
Description of Content
Two portrait exposures of two different soldiers. The soldiers are dressed in matching military jackets and hats. The soldier on the left of the image faces the camera front on, while the soldier on the right is faced slightly towards the left of the frame, looking directly at the camera. Both portraits show the heads and upper torsos of the soldiers.
Physical Description
Glass plate negative, black and white, landscape format. Two exposures on image.
More Information
-
Collection Names
-
Collecting Areas
Images & Image Making, Clothing & Textiles, Public Life & Institutions
-
Place & Date Depicted
Australia, circa 1910-1920
Originally the image was assigned an estimated date range circa 1920s-1940s, however, further research into the collection, which is dated circa 1890s-1920s, and the uniforms worn, which appear to be World War I-era, indicates a date range of circa 1914 - 1918. The photograph appears to have been taken in a studio, however, Mr Harvie's photography studio, Harvie & Sutcliffe, located in the Cromwell Buildings, 366a Bourke Street, Melbourne, closed around 1908, therefore it is unclear at which address this photograph was taken. -
Creator (Possible)
Mr Robert W. Harvie, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1914 - 1918
-
Individuals Identified
McGhee; Bennett, C.R. Biglen
-
Format
Glass Negative, Quarter Plate, Black & White
-
Inscriptions
Top edge, black ink on tape: '171. Mc.Ghee / 2 P cards 173. Bennett C.R. Buglen. 12 Post Cards' Top left corner, scratch in emulsion: '171' Top right edge, scratch in emulsion: '173' Along right edge, scratch in emulsion: '173'
-
Classification
-
Category
-
Discipline
-
Type of item
-
Image Dimensions - Negative/s
162 mm (Width), 118 mm (Height)
-
Keywords
Portraits, Soldiers, Clothing, Uniforms, World War I, 1914-1918