Staff and pupils outside a Sydney private school (possibly Henry Montagu's Queen's College for Young Ladies, Macleay Street, Potts Point), 1870-72.

MERLIN, Beaufoy (AMERICAN & AUSTRALASIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY)

Verlag:

Albumen print photograph, carte de visite format, 64 x 105 mm (mount); verso with the pictorial back mark in violet of the American & Australasian Photographic Company, Beaufoy Merlin, Sydney Office, 324 George Street; the print is a little pale but otherwise in very good condition, as is the mount. Beaufoy Merlin specialised in photographing buildings with their owners, occupiers or workers, and he is known to have produced numerous cartes de visite of Sydney schools; see, for example, his carte de visite photograph of St Michaels School, Bourke Street, Darlinghurst (SLNSW, SPF/447) taken around the same time as the photograph we offer here (i.e. the back mark has the 324 George Street address of the American & Australasian Photographic Company). The present photograph is clearly of a private school for girls and young women. We believe there is a strong possibility that it is Queen's College for Young Ladies, Macleay Street, Potts Point, which was founded and run by Henry Montagu.This school was open between 1868 and 1875. Early advertisements in the SMH during 1870 gave the college's address as '143 Macleay Street, Darlinghust Road', later advertisements as '143 Darlinghurst Road' - one street is, of course, a continuation of the other. Henry Neville Montagu, M.A. (Oxon.), Ph.D. (1823-1901) arrived in Sydney in 1860. Hewas employed as English master at several girls' schools including Carlton House, Wynyard Square, prior to establishing Queen's College for Young Ladies at 143 Darlinghurst Road, with his German wife, Theodora Maximilliana Zincken. In this photograph, we believe the bearded gentleman standing on the porch at right (the only male pictured) is Montagu, and that the very upright and stern-looking lady beside him is Theodora. Aside from education, Montagu also had serious interests in journalism and the theatre: he was proprietor and editor of The Sydney Punchfor several years from 1873, and wrote for a number of newspapers as a music and drama critic. He travelled to Brisbane in September 1876 as manager oftheMajeroni Theatrical Company for their season there. He also served as manager and secretary of the Orpheonist Society (a musical society in Stanley Street, Darlinghurst). Much later, in 1881, he was elected foundation president of the Sydney Press Club. Montagu had good business acumen and was something of an entrepreneur when it came to sourcing fee-paying pupils for his exclusive Queen's College in Potts Point. He cast a wide net to attract the attention of wealthy families throughout regional New South Wales, in the hope of enticing them to send their daughters to board at the grand Macleay Street residence. A lengthy advertisement placed in theClarence and Richmond Examiner and New England Advertiser (Grafton, NSW), 2 February1869, exemplifies his promotional nous: 'THE SUCCESS THAT HAS FOR NINEYEARS attended Mr. Montagu's tuition at thePRINCIPAL LADIES' SCHOOLS in Sydney,when only giving a comparatively short portion of histime at each academy, will be some guarantee of thethorough education to be imparted to the pupils ofQueen's College, when, as principal tutor, he willdevote his WHOLE TIME AND ENERGIES totheir instruction, to the preparation of their studios,and to the development of their mental capabilities.Parents may rely on their children being WELL GROUNDEDin every branch of a THOROUGHENGLISH EDUCATION, with ELOCUTION,MODERN LANGUAGES, and the variousACCOMPLISHMENTS, under PROFESSORS ofthe highest distinction ; the system of teaching beingadapted lo strengthen the intellectual qualities.The LATIN (as a key to English), FRENCH, andGERMAN LANGUAGES will be included in the regularcourse of study, WITHOUT ADDITIONAL CHARGE. In the latter, the pupils have theadvantage of obtalning (from Mrs. Montagu) the purehigh German idiom and pronunciation. SPECIAL CLASSES are arranged for tho EDUCATION and TRAINING of GOVERNESSES forschools or private families ; and Examiners of the highest scholastic position. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 43927

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Titel: Staff and pupils outside a Sydney private ...