Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Panorama of Blue Mountains scenery at Leura

Panorama of Blue Mountains scenery at Leura

November 1903
DL Pg 27
Platinum photoprint

American adventurer, singer, aeronaut, and photographer Melvin (Chester) Vaniman (1866-1912) had a passion for taking panoramic photographs from great heights. If he could not find something tall from which to take a photograph, he would erect his own thirty metre pole. ‘The acrobatic photographer’ arrived in Sydney in February 1903 after being commissioned by the Pacific cruise line Oceanic Steamship Company to take promotional photos of Australia and New Zealand.

During his time in Australia, Vaniman travelled extensively throughout the country to fulfil his commission and personal creative pursuits. The expansive landscapes, blue skies and rugged bushlands provided the perfect setting for Vaniman’s unconventional, panoramic photographic practices.

Panorama of Blue Mountains scenery at Leura was a photograph captured at Vaniman’s favourite view-point in Australia. The image is a classic example of how the eccentric photographer captured light and the natural beauty of Australia’s mountainous landscapes.

Precious platinum prints

Platinum prints, or platinotypes, are photographic prints made by a monochrome printing process that provides the greatest tonal range of any printing method using chemical development. Platinum prints are renowned for their tonal range, the surface quality and their permanence (as platinum is very chemically stable). The platinum tones range from warm black to expanded mid-tone greys that are unobtainable in silver prints through to white.