Sun Pictures of New South Wales Part 2 by John Paine

John Paine was a prominent commercial photographer in NSW in the period 1870 to circa 1901. Born in England in 1833, he emigrated to NSW in circa 1869 and set up a studio in Tamworth. After briefly moving to Maitland in 1873, Paine moved to Sydney in 1874, got married, and established a studio in Elizabeth Street, Waterloo.

Unlike most other commercial photographers of his era, Paine focused on the sale of scenic views of Sydney and surrounds and the Blue Mountains, rather than generating an income from studio portraiture. He sold individual prints, custom albums, and a few limited edition albums.

In 1875, Paine’s work was praised in the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1879, he exhibited photographs at the Sydney International Exhibition, winning a silver medal of the 1st degree of merit. In 1883, Paine exhibited at the International Colonial & Industrial Exhibition in Amsterdam. In 1884, he accompanied Commodore J.E. Erskine and Augustine Dyer (the official photographer of the NSW Government Printing Office) on the Expedition of the Australian Squadron to the south-east coast of New Guinea. In 1885, he exhibited at the International Exhibition in Calcutta, winning a silver medal with 1st class certificate. In 1886 Paine exhibited at the Colonial & Indian Exhibition, in London. In 1901 he photographed the streets of the city of Sydney festooned for the Federation celebrations.

A complete album of Sun Pictures of New South Wales is very rare. Most have suffered the fate of having the prints removed and sold separately; between $200 and $1,000 being the going rate per print. I know of only one complete 3-part set on the market. It has a price tag of $8,500.

Sun Pictures of New South Wales is not listed by Holden’s Photography in Colonial Australia, is not in the Historic Photograph Collection of the University of Sydney’s Macleay Museum (Australia's largest repository of John Paine images), and was not cited by the curators of the John Paine Landscape Photograph Exhibition held in July 1984.

I obtained my copy of Part 2 of Sun Pictures of New South Wales whilst I was in lockdown in Tuscany in May 2020, from an auction house in California. I received it whilst I was in quarantine in Sydney on my return home in July. That is a story in itself, but I will reveal that the auction house uncharacteristically did no research whatsoever of the album, not even to match to his name the initials “J.P.” that are printed on every single John Paine photograph.

The album is in overall good condition. It’s 30 albumen prints are all intact. It is a beautifully made album, but there are two minor problems with it. It is devoid of a publication date and the name “John Paine” anywhere. Paine was not accustomed to dating any of his photographs, so I have had to do a bit of detective work. Given the dates of some of the subjects, the album was printed circa late 1888-1890. Three of the photographs are numbered in their titles, thus coming from Paine’s stock collection of 500 or so photographs, but the rest were probably taken for this particular album.

I have photographed each albumen print in situ in my copy of Part 2 of Sun Pictures of New South Wales and have created an album on Flickr where they all reside. I used a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and a Canon TS-E 45mm f2.8 lens. In post I cropped out the edges, which are slightly buckled and never straight, and tried to bring the tone of each print back to its original sepia of 140 or so years ago.

Apart from being a rare insight into Sydney and surrounds, in particular the Blue Mountains where I live and photograph, Paine’s images are honest. Unlike later photographers making money out of the Blue Mountains, such as Frank Hurley and more recent photographers, Paine never manipulated his prints and pretended they were real. What you see is what his camera saw. He died in 1908.

Tags:   John Paine

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This photograph is the first of 30 albumen prints in Sun Pictures of New South Wales Part 2 by John Paine. Of the three parts to Sun Pictures, Part 2 was published circa 1889-1890.

More information about this album is here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/50221662926/.

Each print in the album can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/albums/72157715470469691

The Como Rail Bridge was designed by John Whitton and completed in 1885. It is still in use today as a pedestrian and cycle bridge. Its design is very similar to the Parramatta River Rail Bridge, also designed by Whitton and completed in 1886, and also still in use today as a pedestrian and cycle bridge.

Photograph taken circa 1885-1890.

Tags:   John Paine

© All Rights Reserved

This photograph is the second of 30 albumen prints in Sun Pictures of New South Wales Part 2 by John Paine. Of the three parts to Sun Pictures, Part 2 was published circa 1889-1890.

More information about this album is here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/50221662926/.

Each print in the album can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/albums/72157715470469691


This photograph could be looking downstream on Hacking River towards Port Hacking, or somewhere else on one the inlets of Port Hacking, such as North West Arm given the shoreline feature on the left. Note the man in the row boat.

Any more precise suggested location would be welcome.

Photograph taken circa 1880-1890.

Tags:   John Paine

© All Rights Reserved

This photograph is the third of 30 albumen prints in Sun Pictures of New South Wales Part 2 by John Paine. Of the three parts to Sun Pictures, Part 2 was published circa 1889-1890.

More information about this album is here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/50221662926/.

Each print in the album can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/albums/72157715470469691

Australia’s first national park, and the world’s second, was proclaimed in 1879 as “National Park.” It wasn’t until the Queen of England passed by it on a train in 1955 that the “Royal” moniker was added. Note the man in the row boat.

Any and all suggestions of where this photograph was taken are most welcome.

Photograph taken circa 1880-1890.

Tags:   John Paine

© All Rights Reserved

This photograph is the fourth of 30 albumen prints in Sun Pictures of New South Wales Part 2 by John Paine. Of the three parts to Sun Pictures, Part 2 was published circa 1889-1890.

More information about this album is here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/50221662926/.

Each print in the album can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/51321042@N02/albums/72157715470469691

Australia’s first national park, and the world’s second, was proclaimed in 1879 as “National Park.” It wasn’t until the Queen of England passed by it on a train in 1955 that the “Royal” moniker was added. Note the man in the row boat.

Any and all suggestions of where this photograph was taken are most welcome.

Photograph taken circa 1880-1890.

Tags:   John Paine

© All Rights Reserved