Beechworth history visually documented

A Beechworth photographer has shown an incredible 150-year comparison in Beechworth’s visual history between a photograph taken by an Australian pioneering photographer with one of his own taken from the same vantage point. Gary Coombe said Charles Bayliss (1850 - 1897), known for his photography in the 1870s, captured a panoramic view of Beechworth from the Anglican Christ Church bell tower. “The photographs help build the visual historic record of one of the best preserved 1850s gold rush towns in Australia,” he said. Gary has added to the history record by climbing to the bell tower with photos taken two decades ago, as well as this year, marking 150 years since Charles Bayliss took his photo documenting the town’s history. The photographer said Bayliss used an historic photographic technique known as wet plate with negatives difficult to process due to a 15-minute time frame. “Charles Bayliss was an extraordinary photographer, and I would rate him as one of the best wet plate photographer in the world,” he said. “He took the largest glass plate panoramic photos in the world. "Each sheet of glass had to be coated with a mixture of collodion and sensitised before being exposed while still being wet. “After exposure, the negative had to be developed within the 15-minute time frame." Gary said he is intrigued how Mr Bayliss got up and down from the top of the bell tower to his horse and cart with the large and heavy plates to quickly undertake the processing with the cart as a portable darkroom. “Bayliss was 16 years old when he met a photographer Beaufoy Merlin and became his assistant, travelling around Victoria and NSW,” he said. “While documenting history in the mining towns of Gulgong and Hill End in NSW, they met an entrepreneur and goldminer Bernhardt Otto Holtermann who liked their work. “Holtermann used their photos to promote Australia and took an exhibition to America to encourage people to come to Australia. “Their work became known because of Holtermann’s financial support with him also being an important part of the story with the photograph taken 150 years ago in Beechworth. “He bought the camera made in Germany for Bayliss and paid for the glass plates and chemicals. “Bayliss is important in history as he helped build the visual record of a young nations' identity, cultural shifts, and environmental changes making it a critical tool for understanding the past and preserving our national heritage.” Gary said Mr Bayliss’ work is held in the Mitchell Library part of the State Library of New South Wales. “I have found this project to be extremely rewarding as the landscape history is a study of the way in which humanity has changed and the physical appearance of the environment, both present and past," he said. “Capturing these milestones are extremely important in photography."

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Beechworth history visually documented

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