Date of use : 1898 Australia

Queensland Amateur Photographic Society Postcard

This postcard represents a historical document illustrating the development of amateur photographic culture in Australia during the late nineteenth century. The card contains a printed meeting notice issued by the Queensland Amateur Photographic Society, an organization that brought together photography enthusiasts and promoted the technical and artistic study of photography. The card itself is an example of official Queensland postal stationery, bearing an imprinted one-penny postage value and the colonial heraldic design associated with the British Empire.

The text on the reverse side announces the regular monthly meeting of the society. According to the notice, the meeting was scheduled to take place in the Courier Building on Queen Street, a location associated with the offices of the Courier newspaper in Brisbane, which served as an important center of communication and public life in the city. The meeting was planned for Wednesday the 20th at eight o'clock in the evening, indicating that the society organized regular gatherings where members could exchange technical knowledge and discuss photographic practices.

The program for the meeting included two principal items. The first was a presentation by Dr. Wheeler entitled "The Use of Swing Back." The term "swing back" most likely refers to a technical feature found in large-format cameras that allows the rear standard of the camera to be tilted or adjusted. This mechanism was particularly useful for correcting perspective distortion and was frequently employed in architectural photography and other applications requiring precise control of the image plane. Such lectures demonstrate that photographic societies served as venues for the dissemination of technical expertise among amateur practitioners.

The second item on the agenda appears to have involved a presentation or lecture on pictorial photography, based on photographs associated with the Royal Photographic Society of London. This reference indicates that photographic culture in colonial Australia maintained intellectual and cultural connections with established photographic institutions in Britain. The circulation of photographic prints and technical ideas between Britain and Australia contributed to the development of a shared photographic culture within the wider British imperial world.

The notice concludes with the name W. C. Voller, identified as the Honorary Secretary of the society. In photographic clubs of this period, the honorary secretary was typically responsible for administrative duties such as organizing meetings, communicating with members, and managing the society's correspondence. The presence of this signature indicates that the postcard functioned as an official communication distributed to members of the society.

The address side of the postcard identifies the recipient as Mr. L. E. Miracle, described as Consul for France, located in Bundaberg, Queensland. This suggests that membership or correspondence networks of the photographic society extended beyond purely local amateur photographers and included individuals from professional, diplomatic, or commercial backgrounds. During the late nineteenth century photographic societies often attracted members from educated and socially prominent circles.

The postal cancellation visible on the card indicates that it passed through the Bundaberg postal system in July 1898, demonstrating the use of the colonial postal network to distribute organizational communications. During this period postcards were widely used for both personal and institutional correspondence due to their efficiency and relatively low cost.

From a collecting perspective the postcard may be associated with several thematic areas, including the history of amateur photography, photographic societies, and Queensland colonial postal history. It also provides insight into the educational role played by photographic clubs in spreading technical knowledge about photographic equipment and techniques.

Record Information

Title: Queensland Amateur Photographic Society Postcard

Category: Photographic Society History / Colonial Postal History

Subcategory: Amateur Photography / Society Meeting Notices

Country: Australia (Colonial Queensland)

City: Brisbane / Bundaberg

Date: July 1898

Society: Queensland Amateur Photographic Society

Honorary Secretary: W. C. Voller

Recipient: Mr. L. E. Miracle, Consul for France, Bundaberg

Object Type: Official postal stationery postcard with imprinted stamp

Postal Administration: Queensland colonial postal service

Postal Route: Brisbane → Bundaberg, Queensland

Stamp Design: Queensland colonial issue with one-penny imprinted value

Language: English

Material: Printed card stock

Dimensions: Standard postcard format

Collection Theme: History of amateur photography, photographic societies, colonial Australian postal history

Archival Significance: This postcard documents the activities of the Queensland Amateur Photographic Society in the late nineteenth century. It illustrates the educational role of photographic societies in disseminating technical knowledge and reflects the cultural connections between colonial Australia and British photographic institutions. The card also provides insight into the use of postal services for organizational communication within colonial society.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.