Aboriginal with devils mask

Charles Kerry was a professional photographer and owner of the successful photographic firm Kerry and Co. Born in Bombala, New South Wales, Kerry joined the small portrait studio of Alexander Henry Lamartiniere in 1874 and was made a partner in 1883. After Lamartiniere absconded from the business in 1884, taking Kerry’s capital with him, he ran the company in partnership with C D Jones. This eventually became Kerry and Co, the largest firm in the colony. In Kerry’s hands, the company specialised in views, employing specialist photographers assigned to different subjects; Harold Bradley and William van der Velden specialised in city views, while George Bell was responsible for country views. In addition, the firm produced portraits of Aboriginal people and ceremonies for the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, photographed pastoral stations, and captured the interiors of the Jenolan and Yarrangobilly caves using candlelight and magnesium flash. By 1900 Kerry and Co were in charge of the major illustrations for the Sydney press. Kerry retired in 1913 to dedicate himself to his mining interests in Malaysia and Thailand. He was also a pioneer snow sportsman and contributed to establishment of ski fields in the Jindabyne and Kosciusko area.

From 1905, picture postcards superseded carte de visites in popularity and circulation. Postcards were printed directly from negatives or via photoengraving and were frequently hand coloured. Mass-produced and easily distributed, postcards allowed photographers to develop a lucrative market for their professional output. With postcards, the dissemination of photography was integrated into broader communication systems as well as the tourist industry.