George Bell, Kerry and Co. Photographer

George Bell, Australian Journal of Photography, 1908

The photographer George Bell was employed by Kerry and Company in 1890, and the work he produced over the following ten years, stands amongst the best of this period. Bell's pictures transcended hackneyed journalistic records of people and places, and his best photos, contain a lyrical quality, at odds with the demands of journalistic realism. His main strength was his ability gain the confidence of his subjects and click the shutter at just the right moment to slice a moment out of time, and successfully capture a story. Initially these focussed mainly on life in rural Australia and some of his photographs were so successful they defined Australian outback mythology in the eyes of many of his contemporaries. 

Unfortunately Bell's photographs have, in some ways, fallen victim to their own success. Published in numerous magazines, articles and turned into postcards in the early 1900s, they became iconic images of Australian life and carved themselves into the nation's consciousness in the wake of Federation in 1901. Many now appear to be overly sentimental or even clichéd, but they are still beautifully composed and considered images, the best of which tell heir story eloquently.

Born in Cornwall, England, Bell found his love of travel and of photography while working as a surveyor for the Victorian Government Engineers. One of his first professional ventures with the camera came in 1890. This was the year he was commissioned as photographer on the Victory expedition to New Guinea, sponsored by the New South Wales Government and the Burns Philp company. Upon his return he was employed by Charles Kerry who immediately set about instructing him in the finer points of landscape photography. This was completed quickly and Bell was soon dispatched, with a carefully worked-out map, to photograph rural New South Wales. 

Between 1890 and 1900 Bell, not only honed his craft, he produced many of his most memorable images. Among the best of these are 'Pioneers', 'On the Road to Dorrigo', 'The Farmers Daughter', 'Rounding Up', and perhaps his best known, 'The Waterbag' or 'Halt for refreshment'. 

In 1900 he left Kerry's studio, taking up a position as photo-journalist at the Sydney Mail newspaper. When interviewed in 1908 Bell was still at the top of his game and able to combine the high volumes demanded of him as a photo-journalist without compromising the quality of his images. Only a few of the photographs in this selection have been positively identified George Bell's work, but given their style, and subject matter, it is likely many others were taken by him.

Geoff Barker, 2011

References
David, Millar, Charles Kerry's Federation Australia, Sydney, David Ell Press, 1981
Valdon, 'Our Artistic Workers; Mr. George Bell', Australian Photographic Journal, Volume 17, Number 199, December 21, 1908