James Reid was born in Scotland near Glasgow and came to Victoria as a young man in 1854. Shortly after arriving he came to Bacchus Marsh where he lived until his death in 1902 at the age of 74 years. For most of these years he conducted a wheelwrights and coach builders business in Bacchus Marsh. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, wheelwrights and blacksmiths played an essential role in the functioning of the whole community. Before the industrialisation of manufacturing, wheels and other components of vehicles for transport, all metal objects, including farm implements, building requirements and domestic utensils were made by hand. As mechanisation of industry increased, the smith commonly performed the role of farrier in the times when horse power was pivotal to all aspects of society. Small sepia unframed photograph on card with gold border framing photograph. Housed in the album, 'Photographs of Bacchus Marsh and District in 1883 by Stevenson and McNicoll' The photo shows a plain brick house with a central front door with a window on either side. There are a further two windows along the side of the house. On the left-hand side of the building there is a smaller room with its own entry door. The main roof is tiled with shingles or slate and features two substantial chimneys. At the front of the house stands a young woman with her hands clasped. A horse can be seen at the rear of the house. From the photo of the James Reid Wheelwright and Blacksmith Shop, Victorian Collections No.VC 618, we know that this house stood to the rear of the workshop. The wheel tracks which can be seen lead out to Main Street. On the front: Stevenson & McNicoll. Photo. 108 Elizabeth St. Melbourne. COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY TIME. On the back: LIGHT & TRUTH inscribed on a banner surmounted by a representation of the rising sun. Copies of this Portrait can be had at any time by sending the Name and Post Office Money Order or Stamps for the amount of order to STEVENSON & McNICOLL LATE BENSON & STEVENSON, Photographers. 108 Elizabeth Street, MELBOURNE houses bacchus marsh, stevenson and mcnicoll 1883 photographs of bacchus marsh and district, james reid 1828?-1902, wheelrights bacchus marsh