Historical information

Mrs Georgina Hill (wife of Henry), nee Reynolds (of Research, Vic.) in cap [possibly misidentified by donor - see note below] with Mrs Isaac Hill and her children (left to right) Amelia Hill, (born 1853) Mrs Isaac Hill with baby Isaac (born 1860, Eltham) on her lap. Mary Jane Hill (born 1857, Eltham) seated on Mrs Henry Hill's lap and Bob Hill. The Hill family were early settlers of the Eltham area.

Daguerreotype photo enclosed in a leather bound clam shell box with felt lining and gold trim. Donated by Mrs Ivy Edna Hill, 4/1 Bridge Street, Eltham, 4 June 1966 and includes copy of her note identifying the people.

Daguerreotypes were one of the first forms of early photographs. They initially appeared in Europe in 1839 and were produced in large numbers to the early 1850s but were superseded by more modern and flexible forms of technology by 1860.

The photo was usually formed on a thin copper plate with light sensitve silver iodide. They have a mirror-like appearance and the image itself was mirrored. They were usually inserted into a case or frame made of wood bound in leather or velvet and cost about one guinea in Australia, the equivalent of a week's wages.

With the advent of the gold-rush and growing population came an increase in numbers of photographers both studio and travelling. The daguerreotype process was protected by patents and could only result in a single image from which no copies could be made. With new technology involving wet colloidion glass plate negatives and albumen paper prints of which multiple copies could be produced at significantly reduced cost, the dauguerreotype quickly fell out of favour.

An accompanying note with the photo written by Edna Hill of 4/1 Bridge Street Eltham dated 4 June 1966 states:

"Dear Mr Watson,
I think the enclosed old time photograph will be of interest to you. It would have been taken about 1860. The two ladies are the wives of the original pioneers of the Hill family. The one in the cap was the wife of Henry Hill, the other of Isaac Hill. The children are those of Mrs Isaac Hill, and grandchildren to Henry Hill. The little girl on the left is Amelia, the baby Isaac, the second girl is Mary Jane, and the boy on the right is Bob Hill. They grew up tobe Uncles and Aunts of my late husband.
I greatly appreciated a letter received a few months ago per Cr Pelling, from the Shillinglaw Cottage Committee.
Yours sincerely,
Edna Hill"

Victorian birth registrations show Mary Jane Hill was born 1857 in Eltham (9879 / 1857) and Isaac Hill at Eltham in 1860 (1972/1860)

NOTE: Mrs Isaac Hill was Ellen Fitzsimons (1834-1863), mother to Henry Hill. Mrs Georgina Hill, wife of Henry cannot be the lady in the cap as she was not born till 1864. Georgina Reynolds (1864-1927) married Henry Hill (1862-1948) in 1884. This lady has significant wrinkling of the face, especially around her mouth. It is possible that she is the mother of Mrs Isaac Hill (Ellen Fitzsimons) who was Isabella Fitzsimons (nee Ferguson).

Significance

This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.'
It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.

Physical description

Digital image
4 x 5 inch B&W Neg