With all the navy fleet goings on in Sydney Harbour over the past week, a ship themed can you date.
This is a view from the western side of Farm Cove looking north-east toward Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour.
Can you date this photograph?
![4481_a026_000471[1]](/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/4481_a026_0004711.jpg)
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.
NRS 20024 is a series of albums from the Department of Main Roads.
The series titled “Photographs of metropolitan, country roads ferries etc., and miscellaneous operations, New South Wales” consists of photographs showing the construction and maintenance of roads in New South Wales between 1926 and 1946.
While most of the photographs have been well titled and dated. There are a few that have no information about the location photographed.
Are there any landmarks in these photos that could help us …. name this road?
In less than two weeks applications will close for Expressions of Interest for the 2014 Regional Services program. If you would like assistance with a project, get collection advice from our experts, have a Powerhouse Museum presenter at a workshop, or undertake an internship placement or mentorship with staff of the Museum, please lodge an application by 27 September 2013. For further information see the guidelines and applications forms .
When trying to date photographs, a handy tool is to identify any vehicles that may be present in the image.
Here’s a unique vehicle that was part of the military vehicles display at State Records Open Day last Friday.
Can you date this fire engine?
Thanks to the Museum of Fire for coming to our Open day and displaying part of their collection on the day!
Empty beer bottles on Norfolk Island, 1 December 1942, presumably emptied by DMR employees
During World War II the NSW Department of Main Roads built defence works for the Commonwealth government in the Northern Territory and Queensland and for the United States Army on Norfolk Island. It compiled photographs taken by its employees in albums, neatly labelling them.
Construction operations, Northern territory, 1940-1941.
I made use of these albums when putting together the World War II section of the Australia and War digital gallery. But I could only include a small number of these fascinating photographs. Now the albums have been digitised and are available through Photo Investigator. They record the construction methods and equipment, the working conditions and the effects of heavy rains on the work, as well as including picturesque touristy shots. They are well worth a look even if you are not into old cars and trucks.
Plant bogged after rain, possibly Belyando River area, 1942-1943 (cropped image)
The main street of Grenfell in the Central West of NSW.
Can you date this photograph?
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.
An ever changing area of Sydney, Hickson Road, Darling Harbour.
Can you date this photograph?
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.
While a few might think of the State archives including scripts of plays even fewer would think any music would be held in them. A rare find indeed is some music included in a manuscript play from the 1850s.
The play in which the music was found is Rookwood, or, The Adventures of Dick Turpin and Tom King (NRS 980, [SZ57]). The manuscript play was submitted to the Colonial Secretary on 21 September 1850 by Gustavus Frederick Arabin, a colonial actor who had performed in places such as Hobart, Launceston and Sydney. The play was performed at the Royal Victoria Theatre in Sydney on 13 February 1851 as Rookwood, or, The Adventures of Dick Turpin and Death of Tom King.
The music was found by Senior Archivist Janette Pelosi during her research for a conference on popular entertainments. Janette has researched the plays held by State Records and even a few of the actors and actresses who played in them.
Another researcher with interests in colonial music is Graeme Skinner, musicologist, historian, and writer. Graeme’s Austral Harmony website includes a biographical register of many of the colonial performers as well as a chronological checklist of colonial compositions. Like many of us Graeme is a Trove aficionado.
When Janette found the music she asked Graeme whether it was a colonial piece. The answer is on his website . For those of us who can’t read music the tune is Greensleeves – think of ice cream van music!
Additional information
For more about the manuscript plays see
Batemans Bay on the south coast of NSW.
I’m pretty sure the car ferry is no longer in service!
Can you date this photograph?
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.