The Anglesea Barracks, with its free-standing memorial column to the fallen British soldiers in New Zealand 1845, was the focus of attention for photographers in 1874 with the arrival of the American scientific expedition under Captain Harkness to record the Transit of Venus.
The New York Times ran a report of the expedition in February 1875: read the full account here: New York Times on Transit of Venus in Hobart 1874 [pdf].
The purpose of the expedition and its success was reported in The New York Times, August 5, 1875:
This is the only surviving photograph of 39 taken of the 1874 transit from Australia by the large US expedition to Tasmania. Venus is the large black disc near the top of the Sun in the photograph.
Source: QVMAG and CSIRO
This stereograph taken of the team on site is unattributed, but it may have been by Henry Hall Baily, whose photographs OF the Americans were exhibited TO the Americans at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876.
The Mercury on December 1st, 1875, ran this news item about Tasmanian wool and photographs sent to the exhibition, with mention of Baily's photographs of the Americans in Hobart:
Click on image for readable version
TRANSCRIPT:
PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITION. - There are now ready for shipment some further exhibits of our most valuable wools, which have come in since the 23 boxes and two bales were despatched per last Southern Cross. These consist of six fleeces of pure merino woll, hot water washed, from Mr Page, of Ellenthorpe Hall, and three fleeces of pure stud merino rams from the Hon. Donald Cameron, of Forde, which are valued by the owner at £150,and £80 respectively. These, with eight fleeces from Mr. George Taylor, of Milford, have all been presented by the exhibitors to the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, to which also has been presented, by the Municipal CounciLof Hobart Town, the large frame of photographs of the public buildings of the city, the large map of Tasmania, and also the bismuth iron and tin ores which received prizes in Melbourne at the recent successful exhibition there. Mr. H. H. Baily's books of Tasmanian views and portraits which received a prize, have been returned to the secretary in this colony, with a request that some of the plates which have been damaged by the inspection of the 240,000 visitors to the exhibition might he replaced by clean plates--a request which Mr. Baily has at once expressed his plesaure to accede to. The first photographic picture in the book is that of His Excellency Mr. Weld, C.M.G., in his gubernatorial uniform; and amongst thehundred other portraits are those of many of our best respected citizens and their beautiful children 'of all ages, the last few pages being occupied with iportraits of the American officers who were on 'scientific duty in the Swatara, and who had made themselves so very popular in this colony.
State Library of Tasmania
Notes: On printed label on verso:
"U.S. Transit of Venus expeditions, Southern Division. G. U.S. Transit of Venus Station in Barrack Square, Hobart Town, Tasmania, December, 1874. Transit House, and monument to British soldiers killed in the New Zealand
Title: Hobart, Barrack Square
Creator(s): Unknown
Date: 1874
Description: 1 stereoscopic pair of photographs : sepia toned ; 11 x 18 cm. (mount) Image size 99 x 76 mm. each.
Format: photograph
Location: W.L. Crowther Library ADRI: AUTAS001125299032
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