Explore early photographs of Sydney

From 1900, City Building Surveyor’s department of council began hiring professional photographers to document ‘old, insanitary and ruinous’ buildings when they were condemned, and usually before they were demolished. This practice continued until 1931. These photographs were intended as a form of evidence in the event of any dispute and to record what was about to be lost. Viewed over 100 years later, these photographs show Sydney’s rapid urban change in the first 2 decades of the 20th century.

自1900年起，市议会城市建筑勘测部便开始聘请专业摄影师，对老旧、卫生状况恶劣且破败不堪的建筑在其被列为危楼时，且通常在正式拆除前进行影像留存。该拍摄工作一直持续至1931年。这批影像最初的功能是在纠纷发生时作为佐证材料，并记录即将消逝的建筑风貌。时隔百余年回望这批影像，它们生动呈现了20世纪头二十年悉尼城市的快速变迁历程。