Signed and inscribed studio portrait of 4th Engineer John Hall, HMS Endymion, in full dress uniform. Sydney, New South Wales, December 1869.

Albumen print photograph, carte de visite format, 104 x 64 mm (mount); verso with the back mark of ‘B. C. Boake, from Freeman Bros., Photographer, 330 George St., Sydney (over Mr. Jones, Jeweller &c.)’, and inscribed and signed in ink by the sitter: ‘In remembrance of your visit on board HMS Endymion. Jno. Hall’; both the print and mount are in fine condition.

The frigate HMS Endymion was part of Admiral Phipps’ Hornby’s Flying Squadron which circumnavigated the globe in 1869-70. The Squadron made its official entry into Sydney Harbour on 12 December 1869. During the Endymion‘s sojourn in Sydney, the ship’s Fourth Engineer, John Hall had his portrait taken at B. C. Boake’s studio – as did, most likely, many of the ship’s other officers and crew. He presented this particular carte de visite to a member (or acquaintance of) the wealthy and well-connected Balcombe family of “The Briars”, Mornington, Victoria, who had been invited on a tour of inspection of the ship.

Provenance: Photograph album kept by Jane Emma Murphy (Balcombe) (1854-1924), of “The Briars”, Mornington (and later, St. Kilda, Melbourne), Victoria, Australia; thence by descent through the à Beckett family, Melbourne.