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Local history

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1904 camera

Harold Cazneaux's first camera, 1904, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-141166704

Harold Cazneaux (1878–1953) was perhaps Australia's best-known photographer of the early twentieth century. He purchased this camera in 1904, shortly after moving from Adelaide to Sydney, and made photographs of Sydney's streets and waterways.

In 1909 he became the first Australian photographer to exhibit his works in a solo show.

Cazneaux was a master of the pictorialist style of photography, using soft focus to capture scenes that were - and remain - familiar to many Australians in a new light. He was able to find a timeless, extraordinary beauty in the everyday.

Cazneaux collection

A large collection of glass negatives, papers and photographs dating mostly from 1904 to 1940 depicting many aspects of Australian life and architecture.

Collection guide
Black and white photo of three men on a tractor, one driving and the other two sitting at the back

Jeff Carter, Planting out, Ovens Valley, 1955, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148667470

Carter Collection

Photographs by Jeff Carter of Australian life dating from the 1950s onwards, plus oral history recordings with about 40 individuals living in rural towns or properties.

Collection guide
Landscape watercolour showing trees, hilly, grass covered terrain, few small buildings and a mountain in the distance

H. M. Rolland, Canberra, view from Camp Hill looking towards St. John' s Church, Mt. Ainslie in the distance, 1924, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135217175

Canberra family history

Discover early family histories of the Canberra region while learning about how you too can explore your town and put your family history puzzle back together.

Learning activity for adults
Video
Collection guide
Bowden Collection

Oral history recordings by Ros Bowden for the Women of the land and Comic artists and illustrators projects.

Collection guide
On the left, the cover of 'She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women' which features a faceless statue of a woman standing on a piles of books on a pink and blue background. On the right is a photo of author Sita Sargeant smiling.
Book Launch: She Shapes History with Sita Sargeant

Sita Sargeant launched her debut book, 'She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women'.

Event
Video
Black and white image of factories and other industrial buildings in a valley

William A. Bayley, The industrial valley of Lithgow looking west, Lithgow, New South Wales, 1939, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152895444

Bayley Collection

Books, booklets, pamphlets, leaflets and hundreds of photographs and postcards mainly relating to New South Wales country towns.

Collection guide
Text reading 'Greetings from Barcaldine' with illustrations from around the town

Barcaldine, Qld, c. 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140673077

Australian postcards from the early twentieth century

Take a look at some of the postcards we hold from the first half of the twentieth century and the messages they were sent with.

Blog
Black and white local history pamphlets and flyers, and a sketch of a large house

Selection of material from the Ferguson and McLaren local history collections

"Treasures of the past": The McLaren and Ferguson local history pamphlet collections

Learn about two significant local history pamphlet collections that are now available to explore on Trove thanks to the generous support of donors to the 2023 Tax Time appeal.

Blog

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