The ground-breaking scientific photographs of Australian
Museum curator Gerard Krefft and taxidermist Henry Barnes are revealed for the
first time.
In the mid-nineteenth century, some of the earliest adopters of the
revolutionary new art form of photography were scientists. Museums around the
world were quick to see the huge potential for capturing fleeting moments of
life, death and discovery. At the Australian Museum, curator Gerard Krefft and
taxidermist Henry Barnes began to experiment with photography in the 1860s,
preparing and staging their specimens — from whales and giant sunfish to
lifelike lyre bird scenes and fossils — and capturing them in thousands of
beautiful and arresting images. Captured
reveals this fascinating visual archive for the first time, profiling the
remarkable partnership of Krefft and Barnes, their innovative work and the Australian
Museum’s urgent quest to become more scientific in its practices.
