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StateLibQld 1 134901 Family group in front of their home, Beenleigh district, ca. 1872

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StateLibQld 1 134901 Family group in front of their home, Beenleigh district, ca. 1872

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Family group in front of their home, Beenleigh district, ca. 1872
The early part of William Boag's career was spent in Sydney where he was in partnership with portrait photographer Joseph Charles Milligan. (Images made by Boag are in the collection of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society.).
Boag arrived in Queensland in November 1871. He travelled around the south-east, along the foreshore of Moreton Bay and the township of Cleveland. He then moved into the Logan and Albert area where he captured images of local crushing mills and sugar plantations. While at Yatala, he took on a partner, John Henry Mills, and by the end of 1872, both men were in Stanthorpe where they remained for several months, producing views of the booming tin-mining settlement.
In July 1873, after stopping off in Warwick, Boag and Mills extended their operations to Mackay, where they remained until October 1875. During this time, Boag made trips to St Lawrence and Cooktown, however his movements after this are difficult to trace. It is known that by mid 1876 he was at Copperfield and Clermont, and in February 1878, he inserted a notice in the Peak Downs Telegram announcing that he was leaving for the west. Then information ceases abruptly. It is possible that Boag never reached his destination, since his death certificate records that he died in 1878 at an unknown location.

This structure probably contained only two rooms side by side, entered by the central doorway. The origins of this form of architecture were to be found in the cottages of the English countryside. (The stringy-bark shingles on the roof originally were intended to resemble slate.) The roofline indicates the existence of high ceilings to combat the humid climate. Note that the indoor furniture has been brought out onto the bare verandah for the photograph. The sitters are not entirely comfortable with the concept of the verandah as a place of recreation. Rather, they treat the area as a kind of platform where they can present themselves and declare their ownership of the surrounding property. The verandah also has no surrounding railing or guard-rail to protect its users from a fall - surely a danger given that this family had so many small children.

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Date

1876
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Source

State Library of Queensland
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