View of Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, Queensland, late 1890s

Albumen print photograph, 260 x 370 mm, no photographer’s imprint; verso with faint contemporary pencil inscription ‘Ruthven Street, Toowoomba’; unmounted; tiny loss at bottom right corner, otherwise a superb print with beautiful tones and sharp detail.

A wonderful, large format view of Ruthven Street looking south, with much of the street signage legible. Prominent businesses include P. Chrissen, Watchmaker & Jeweller; Queen’s Hotel; Union Bank of Australia; T.R. Roberts, Tin & Iron; Powell & Palethorpe; Wm. Tanner, General Ironmonger; Royal Arcade; Central Auction Mart; New Zealand Insurance Co.; Munko’s Buildings, 1896; and F.E. Driver.