We have several photo series showing the growth and expansion of Sydney from c.1860 to c.1915. Sydney is the main subject of the series below, however, photos of Sydney are not limited to this list. Other series with broader subject ranges may also include views of Sydney and can be found using the collection search »
List of photo series (Sydney)
Check the related Stories tab for more photos of Sydney
- Sydney, 1860-1890
- Sydney buildings, 1878-1890
- Plague in Sydney, 1900
- Panoramas of Sydney, c.1915
- Dacey Garden Suburb, 1913-1918
- Government House Stables, 1913
NRS 15344, Photos of Sydney taken between 1860 and 1880
Photos of Sydney Harbour and environs, major buildings in Sydney, provincial centres and rural New South Wales. There is a note inside the album cover saying This album was purchased from J. Degotardi, Department of Public Works, in 1913 - price £20.
Images include inner City (especially harbour side suburbs); the harbour; lightships; vessels; the Botanic Gardens and the Domain; Gasworks; panoramic views of Sydney taken from the North Shore; University of Sydney; museum; construction of the Australian Mutual Provident Society’s offices in Pitt Street in 1877; workshops at Cockatoo Island; a drawing of the post office; Victoria Barracks with the 50th Regiment on display; triumphal arches erected around the city in honour of Prince Alfred; Cooks River; residence of Mr Simms at Lane Cove; and Pye’s orangery at Parramatta. Also included are photographs of bridges at Picton, Knapsack Gully and one over the Nepean River; a railway tunnel at Picton, and construction work on the Wollongong basin.
NRS 745, Buildings in Sydney, 1878-1890
Taken by private photographers for the City of Sydney Improvement Board, these 24 photos show buildings in need of repair or undergoing alterations, as well as views of streets showing the condition of awnings, signboards and walls of shops, hotels and private residences. In 1879 The City of Sydney Improvement Act was constituted as a result of the findings of the Sydney City and Suburban Sewage and Health Board regarding the poor condition of buildings and sanitation within the City of Sydney due to a lack of proper legislation and codes of building practice. The City of Sydney Improvement Board was appointed to execute the Act.
NRS 12487, Photos taken during cleansing operations in quarantine areas, 1900
These are selected images of quarantine areas in Sydney, following the outbreak of Bubonic Plague in 1900. The outbreak was epidemic in scale from January to August 1900, with 303 people stricken, and 103 people dying. The photographs were commissioned as result of the outbreak, and were taken by Mr. John Degotardi, Jr., photographer from the Department of Public Works. In 1900 the Department of Health believed the first defence against the disease was the extermination of rats. This resulted in the employment of 3000 men at the height of the epidemic to catch and kill rats. Cleansing and disinfecting operations in the quarantine areas lasted from 24 March to 17 July 1900, and included the demolition of 'slum' buildings. The images provide a vivid picture of the state of the city during and immediately after the Plague, and include the interior and exterior of houses, stores, warehouses and wharves, and surrounding streets, lanes and yards.
NRS 20499, Most up-to-date Sydney panoramic views, c.1915
A booklet containing a collection of prints of panoramic photographs of Sydney's buildings, parks, harbour, zoo and streets. Photographed and printed by H. Phillip, Katoomba NSW c.1915.
NRS 5225, Photographs of Dacey Garden Suburb (Daceyville), 1913-1918
A booklet containing a collection of prints of panoramic photographs of Sydney's buildings, parks, harbour, zoo and streets. Photographed and printed by H. Phillip, Katoomba NSW c.1915.
The Dacey Garden Suburb (Daceyville) was developed by the Housing Board of New South Wales between 1913 and 1918 as Sydney's "first planned modern garden suburb". The new neighborhood predominantly public in ownership had an integrated design of family houses, open spaces, streetscapes, tree plantings, and gardens. (1) This suburb was named after John Rowland Dacey, Member of the Legislative Assembly for the constituencies of Botany (1895 to 1904) and Alexandria (1904 to 1912) and Colonial Treasurer and Registrar of Records (1911 to 1912), (2) who played a vital role in the approval of this urban development. Daceyville is located in the city of Sydney about 2 km South by East of Kensington and about 2 km West of Coogee within the municipalities of Mascot and Botany.
NRS 1728, Photographs of Government House Stables, 1913
This small album of 18 photographs contains images of the exterior of the Government House stables. The photographs document the early stages of construction to convert the stables into the premises for the Conservatorium of Music.
The photographs are contained in a small album, with the date July 1913, and the signature H.Whitehouse, written on the front cover. Inside the album, Don N.L.Salmon, 24.12.1951, is written in pencil along the side of the first page.
This was formerly Mitchell Library M.L. A3233
![Botanic Gardens (L-R cropped and aligned to scale) in 1833, 1867, and 1914. From SR Map 5472, SR Map 5473, and NRS 12060, [9/4699], 15/2043](/sites/default/files/Public%20Access/NowAndThen/Gardens%201833-1914_0.jpg)
