Historical information

Murray Comrie Collection.

Copy of an 1866 photograph by Aimé Marchand.

The building was originally Company's Hotel, then used as temporary premises by the Colonial Bank during construction of the bank's own premises, then Borough of Tarnagulla Council Chambers and Mechanics Institute. Also known locally as Burstall Hall from c1960 following a donation of maintenance funding from the Estate of the late RH Burstall.

In June 1866, Aimé Marchand (1846-1910) made a series of fourteen photographs which were submitted to the 1866-67 Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition, where they earned a 1st Class Honorable Mention. This is one of those fourteen images. Of French or Belgian origin and possibly formerly an assayer in California, Marchand appears to have begun his practice of photography in Tarnagulla around 1865 as an assistant to A.B. Clay. By the following year he had settled in Portland, where he opened the Royal Photographic Studio in Gawler Street. From his base in Portland he toured surrounding districts, offering portrait and view services. Little else is known about his life. He appears to have left Australia in 1878. A misprint of his name in a local directory as Annie Marchand created the misconception that he was one of only a few named women photographers in the colonies.

Physical description

Monochrome photograph the Tarnagulla Council Chambers in June 1866.