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Archives Outside - For people who love, use and manage archives

Can you date this photograph? [No.4 wharf, Circular Quay]

Now here’s something you don’t see down at the Quay these days!

Sheep housed in temporary pens aboard a cargo ship at No.4 wharf, Circular Quay (NSW).

Can you date this photograph?

Larger version on Flickr

 

 We have many other undated photographs in Photo Investigator and on our Flickr account. If you know the dates or any other interesting facts about these images please let us know.

  • Iain Stuart says:

    Reminds me of the cruise ships and their passengers that currently dock at Circular Quay.

    February 26, 2013 at 12:45 pm
  • pellethepoet says:

    @Iain Stuart: baa baa ha ha

    February 26, 2013 at 10:47 pm
  • enno says:

    Probably the same date as those other photos of sheep, which was dated last year.
    I am dubious that circular quay was the normal location for loading large numbers of sheep, it may have been quite unusual.

    February 27, 2013 at 9:15 am
  • Anna Gray says:

    @enno I just had a look back through last years “can you dates?” and couldn’t find any featuring sheep!
    The image I think you might be referring to is on Flickr and remains undated!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/state-records-nsw/8007720324/
    But I do think this image is from the same sequence as the one featured in this week’s “Can you date”.

    February 27, 2013 at 9:27 am
  • Iain Stuart says:

    Yes I cant imagine them unloading sheep in the 20th c – 1804 yes but later it would have been Darling Harbour.

    February 28, 2013 at 2:38 pm
  • Builders Melbourne says:

    The photo looks too sharp to be 19th century and suggest it would be early 20th century as we would already be exporting our fine sheep by then.

    March 1, 2013 at 3:46 pm
  • Anna Gray says:

    Thanks for the input on this one!
    We had a few comments over on Flickr suggesting a 1930’s date.
    However it looks like it might be even later! The State Library of NSW has a date of 8/6/1950 on the same image.
    http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au//item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=170523

    March 12, 2013 at 1:28 pm
  • Collins says:

    Nice photograph, something you don’t see down at the Quay these days!

    June 4, 2013 at 10:04 pm