Cape York – Tales from the Northern Frontier

Richard Daintree and the first photographs of North Queensland

January 18, 2024January 17, 2024 by Phillip Charlier

Richard Daintree (1832-1878) was one of the first photographers in Australia, and after beginning his career as a geologist and photographer in Victoria, Daintree moved north as a business partner of pioneer pastoralist, and well-known North Queensland explorer, William Han, in 1864. Thus, Daintree has left a legacy of photographs documenting life in the north … Read more

From French boy to Aboriginal man: the story of Narcisse Pelletier

January 16, 2024January 16, 2024 by Phillip Charlier

Photographic portrait of Narcisse Pelletier

In 1875, the captain and crew of a ship dropped anchor off the remote northeastern coast of Australia to replenish their water supply. Among a group of Aboriginal warriors encountered on land stood a young man who, like the others, was naked, and decorated with ritual scars on his chest and arms that were a … Read more