In
November 1896 Barnett produced a film of the Melbourne Cup, considered one of
the earliest, if not the first, newsreels ever made.
Robert Louis Stevenson was not only a
famous man of letters, he was also a graduate in both Law and Engineering.
There are fifteen known portraits of Robert
Louis Stevenson by Girolamo Nerli.
The most memorable result of Girolamo Nerli’s
1892 visit to Samoa was an oil portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson, which is now
in the National Galleries of Scotland (Portrait Gallery) collection.
A contemporary described Nerli as ‘a
memorable figure … rather tall, with black, pointed beard.’ He was considered
flamboyant, light-hearted and Bohemian.
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Girolamo Nerli also painted Robert Louis
Stevenson’s home on Samoa – Vailima.
Walter
Barnett opened the Falk Studios in Sydney in 1887. He soon became one of the
leading portrait photographers in the country, distinguished for his ability to
bring out bone-structure and texture of the skin.
Australian Dictionary of
Biography
Robert Louis Stevenson is best known as
the author of Treasure Island (1882)
and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr
Hyde (1886).