A Moment in Time….
“Miss Elsie White of ‘Saumarez’ was a young woman with a keen interest in photography in the New England. She and her friends raised funds for the war, provided comforts for the soldiers and worked in a Convalescent Home in Armidale housed in the mansion ‘Booloominbah’ during this time.”
15 July 2010 Edited to add
With thanks to William Oates at UNERA here is an additional photo of the White sisters at Dangars Falls with Cameras.
Can you date this photograph album?- part 1 (Tank Parade)
Can you date this photograph album? – part 3 (Ebor Hotel)
Category: -- Can you date...?
Melissa says:
I have been trying to get a clear image of the box camera in the picture but can’t distinguish the exact model (ie: might be able to eliminate a couple of years during 1914-1918).
Other than that, I think the best way of dating this photo (besides comparing dated pictures of the nurses (including the Whites) at Saumarez & Booloominbah with the picture), is to go off the garden in the background.
When I last visited Saumarez about 5 years ago, I recall the arch and pathway (shown in the picture) at the left hand side of the house (from facing the front door). A reasonable date might be able to be worked out from the growth of the garden.
Fiona Sullivan says:
Melissa, Bill Oates at UNERA has managed to find an additional photograph of the Whites with their camera’s. I have edited this into the post above. He says that there are other photographs of cameras in the collection but it may take a while to track them down. Hope this helps.
Melissa says:
The second photo looks like the Whites each have different versions of the Folding Brownie Cameras. The camera on the right (slightly smaller lens) looks like a No. 3A Folding Brownie Camera (generally produced between c 1909-1915). This timeframe incorporated the last production run for those Folding Brownies that opened downwards. As such, it is likely that the second photo pre-dates the first.
With the first, one the size of the lens is interesting. The front of the camera looks more “square” than alot of other Brownies in that period. I can’t be too sure, but it does remind me of either a Model B or Model D Brownie. However, both models were introduced slightly before the War.
a No. 3A Folding Brownie camera (or similar). These were sold between c. 1909-1915. That would most likely place the second photo slightly before the first as the camera in the first photo looks more like the ‘conventional’ Box Brownies.
Melissa says:
Apologies – got my typing mixed up with my previous comment!
Anthea Brown says:
Hi Melissa,
I’m amazed at your camera knowledge! I have a Box Brownie at home, nowhere near as old as the ones above. I find it so interesting that you have been trying to establish the date through the models of these cameras.
There’s a great 5 page list (including pics) of box cameras here: http://www.geh.org/fm/brownie/htmlsrc/index.html#E130.00034. The early folding Brownies date c.1904-c.1910.
Melissa says:
Thanks Anthea for the comment (and also the link). I enjoy reading about the box brownies and have 1 as well.