Road to Mt. Wellington, near Springs.

[Title from contemporary pencil inscription verso]. Circa 1865. Stereoscopic albumen print photograph, each image approximately 75 x 75 mm (irregular), on sky blue card mount, embossed imprint at right margin “A. Morris Photo.”; the left hand albumen print has two small spots of surface loss (at left edge and in the sky area); the right hand albumen print has a small mark in the sky area; otherwise, the prints are in good condition with lovely chocolate tones; the verso of the mount has some paper loss at one corner and some staining.

The photographer is Alfred Morris, who was recorded as being active in Melbourne around 1870, where he had a studio in Elizabeth Street (Davies & Stanbury, Mechanical Eye). Chris Long (Tasmanian Photographers 1840-1940) states that Morris was active in Hobart in the 1870s and possibly into the 1880s. The present stereoview probably dates to the early or mid 1860s, based on the attire of the two men seated in the foreground of the image. Unfortunately, the embossed imprint does not contain a studio address, and it is unclear whether Morris was based in Hobart at this time or whether he was visiting Tasmania. A number of Morris’ Melbourne stereoviews are held in the Keast Burke collection at the National Library of Australia. As an aside, the seldom employed sky blue card mount complements the sepia albumen prints perfectly; why this colour was almost completely ignored by Australian studios of the period in favour of the standard garish yellow or bland buff mounts, is something of a mystery.