Tregellas Collection

The Tregellas Collection comprises about 10,000 stereoscopic view cards produced by both commercial and amateur photographers in all parts of the world, including a substantial portion from Australia. Dating from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century, it also includes a significant collection of photographic equipment and some books and journals on photography, some containing articles by Tregellas, himself.

Photography

Key items in the collection

Highlights include photographic equipment – one of the finest collections of its kind in Australia.

The Tregellas Collection contains a number of fine editions of photographic books and substantial runs of photographic journals. The books include:

Robert Dolty, Photo-secession, Photography as Fine Art (1960)
Robert Hunt, A Manual of Photography (1857)
S Thompson, Swiss Scenery (1866)
George Washington Wilson, Photographs of English and Scottish Scenery (1866).

Among the journals in the collection are:

Bromide Monthly (1901–1905)
Photo-miniature (1899–1924)
Photography Annual (1951–1959)
Practical Photographer (1896–1899)
Process Photogram and Illustrator (1897–1905)
Year Book of Photography (1868–1894).

The Tregellas Collection contains about 10,000 stereoscopic view cards produced by both commercial and amateur photographers in all parts of the world. They date from 1860 to 1900. The Australian photographs include:

scenes of:
- Melbourne
- the Dandenongs
- Geelong
- Ballarat
- the Grampians
- Gippsland
- Beechworth
- Mount Buffalo
- Hobart
- Launceston
- Queenstown
- Sydney
- Katoomba
- the Blue Mountains
people such as state governors
events such as the:
- Federation celebrations (1901)
- visit of the American Fleet (1908)
- Melbourne Cup (1908).

Among the photographers represented are:

AW Dobbie
JH Harvey
Charles Kerry
George Rose.

The non-Australian photographs, which make up the bulk of the collection, include scenes of:

Britain
Ireland
Europe
the Middle East
Egypt
India
China
Japan
the United States
Canada
South America
New Zealand.

There are many depictions of:

the South African War (1899–1902)
the Russo–Japanese War (1904–1905)
World War I.

A remarkable feature of the Tregellas Collection is the photographic equipment that he assembled – one of the finest collections of its kind in Australia.

It includes:

several stereoscopes
an Ives stereo photochromoscope
glass plates and developing kit
lenses
view finders
camera cases
Kodak Number 4 panoramic camera
a stereo timber camera
several other stereo cameras
stereo graphoscopes
several Holmes and Tru-view viewers
a movie camera
a projector.

About Harold Tregellas

Harold Aubrey Tregellas (1898–1969) was born at Mitiamo, a small town west of Echuca in Victoria.He was educated at Bendigo High School and the Bendigo School of Mines, where he studied pharmacy. In 1924, Tregellas moved to Melbourne, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Career and affiliations

For about 20 years, Tregellas managed the dispensary at Footscray Hospital. He retired in 1963. Tregellas was also an active member of the Victorian Ski Club and the Melbourne Walking Club.

Interest in stereo photography

Tregellas became interested in stereo photography as a schoolboy. His father, a schoolteacher, bought a stereoscopic viewer and had a collection of stereoscopic views. Tregellas joined the Australian section of the Stereoscopic Society in 1924 and served as secretary from 1927 until his death in 1969.

A bachelor who lived in a small council flat, Tregellas scoured bookshops and photographic shops, assembling a remarkable collection of stereoscopic equipment and a vast number of stereo view cards.

Tregellas wrote articles for publications such as The Australasian Photo-Review.

Tregellas laid the foundations of post-World War–II stereo photography in Australia.

Keith Hutchings, Sydney Stereo Camera Club

Background to the collection

The Tregellas Collection was donated to the Library in 1971–1972 by RG Robertson of Sydney. Keast Burke acted as the intermediary between the Library and Robertson.

The books and journals in the Tregellas Collection have been integrated in the Australian and general collections.
The stereoscopic view cards and photographic equipment are held in the Pictures Collection.
The cameras, stereoscopes and other equipment have been catalogued individually.
The stereoscopic view cards, which are contained in 124 boxes, are currently being catalogued, and a 27-page summary listing is held in the Tregallas Collection photographer file.

This guide was prepared using this reference: