Street photography stories
During the mid-20th century, commercial street photographers were a familiar sight on Sydney’s streets, capturing everyday people as they strode by or stopped to pose.
Taken against the vibrant background of the city streets, these photographs captured candid moments in the lives of millions of people, from uniformed servicemen and women to postwar migrants exploring their new city and young couples out for a day in town.
Our past exhibition explored the heyday of this once popular but now forgotten genre of photography.
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Browse the stories
Ikon Studio: photo galleries
Browse a selection of images from the Ikon Studio collection shot between May and December 1950 in Martin Place, Sydney
City of a million faces
The passing of years has given many street photographs greater significance than may have been anticipated when they were taken
Ikon Studio
During the public call out for our Street Photography exhibition an extraordinarily rare collection of street photography negatives came to light. The Ikon Studio negatives provide a fascinating visual narrative of the street photographer at work
Vali Myers: teenage Ikon in street photograph
Two young women stride confidently, hand in hand, up Sydney’s Martin Place on a sunny winter’s day in 1950
The street snapshot craze
Picture this: you and a friend are walking down a city footpath amid the lunchtime crowd. Suddenly a smiling man in a suit and tie with camera in hand steps forward and offers you a card. It reads: Your photograph has just been taken
Matching snapshots
The names and stories behind street photographs are often lost with the passing of time, and we were unable to identify many of the people whose images are featured in the Street Photography exhibition. However, we’ve since learnt the moving story behind one image, of two curly-haired children
Family photo reunion
Imagine visiting an exhibition and discovering a photograph of yourself and your family that you had never seen before
Snapped! The Ikon Studio street photographer at work
A remarkable acquisition of 5000 street snaps provides a lively and revealing record of one Sydney street in 1950 and offers a rare glimpse through the street photographer’s lens
A popular nuisance – controlling the street photographers
By the mid-1930s the street photography ‘craze’ saw increasing numbers of photographers on Sydney’s streets – all competing for the best locations and the most promising marks
Signs of the times
In the background of many street photos are glimpses of Sydney’s architecture, from still-recognisable locations to popular landmarks of the day
Photo collections
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Electricity Commission
These photos record the power generation and transmission assets of the organisation and document the working conditions and social events of its employees
Maritime Services Board
A sample of the 4000+ digitised glass plate negatives from the Maritime Services Board
Government Printing Office Glass Negatives
From the late 19th century into the 20th century, photography played a significant role at the Government Printing Office, leading to a rich and varied collection of images depicting life in New South Wales
Purging pestilence – plague!
The Bubonic Plague hit Sydney in January 1900. Spreading from the waterfront, the rats carried the plague throughout the city. Within eight months 303 cases were reported and 103 people were dead
Lantern slides shown at the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition
Part of this collection of lantern slides was shown at the Franco-British Exhibition in London, 1908. Many of the slides are of typical country scenes such as saw mills, dairy farms, mining, and timber felling and hauling
Sydney Harbour Bridge
This photo series captures the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, from turning the first sod to completion, including the official opening and its initial use by the public
Public buildings in NSW
This album, dating from c1880 to c1940, was created by the Government Architect's office and includes a diverse array of important public and institutional structures
Royal National Park
Many of the photos in this series depict recreational activities around Audley, showcasing people boating, playing sports, bushwalking, picnicking, and taking part in ceremonies
Scheyville Training Farm
Scheyville was a training farm for young men selected from the Sydney area and those arriving under various British immigration schemes
Photos from the railways
With around 30,000 photos from various series, you can delve into a visual history of the railways, the workers, and the stunning landscapes of Sydney and New South Wales