Richard Daintree

Richard Daintree
Richard Daintree, Australian geologist and photographer, from albumen print
Born	(1832-12-13)13 December 1832 Hemingford Abbots,Huntingdonshire,England
Died	20 June 1878(1878-06-20)(aged 45) Beckenham,England
Nationality	English
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Education	Christ's College, Cambridge
Known for	geology,photographs of the Victorian goldfields exhibited at the 1862 International Exhibition in London
Scientific career
Institutions	Australian Geological Survey Office, Queensland Agent-General
Academic advisors	Alfred Selwyn

Richard DaintreeCMG(13 December 1832 – 20 June 1878) was a pioneering Australian geologist and photographer. In particular, Daintree was the first Government geologist forNorth Queenslanddiscovering gold fields and coal seams for future exploitation. Daintree was a pioneer in the use of photography during field trips and his photographs formed the basis of Queensland's contribution to the Exhibition of Arts and Industry in 1871. Following the success of the display, he was appointed as Queensland'sAgent-Generalin London in 1872 but was forced to resign in 1876 due to ill-health and malpractice by some of his staff although not Daintree himself. A number of features in North Queensland have been named after Daintree including the town ofDaintree, Queensland,theDaintree National Park,theDaintree River,theDaintree Rainforestwhich has been nominated for the World Heritage List and theDaintree Reef.

Early career to 1864

Richard Daintree was born inHemingford Abbots,HuntingdonshireinEngland,the son of Richard Daintree, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth. He was educated atBedford School,and started a degree atChrist's College, Cambridgein 1851, but left after a year due to ill health. Migrating to Australia for a warmer climate, he was briefly a prospector in theVictorian gold rushin 1852.

In 1854, Daintree accepted an appointment as assistant geologist toAlfred Selwynin the Victorian Geological Survey. Daintree returned to London to study assaying and metallurgy at theRoyal School of Mines.During his studies in 1857, Daintree became interested in photography. On return to Australia he joinedAntoine Fauchery's studio in Collins Street Melbourne.

Group of diggers, Castlemaine, from Fauchery and Daintree,Sun pictures of Victoria

Together they produced the albumSun pictures of Victoriawhich comprised photographic prints of Melbourne as well as some of the only existing images of the Victorian goldfields andAustralian AboriginalPeoples from this time.The Argusadvertised in 1858 the publication in ten instalments under this title to a total of;

"50 large photographs, in illustration of our colonial celebrities, our landscape and marine scenery, and our private and public architecture. The invention of the stereomonoscope, by means of which the objects exhibited in a sun picture, of any size, assume solidity and relief to the eye of the spectator, gives an additional value to photographic transcripts of nature."

Jack Catoin hisThe Story of the Camera in Australiain his inspection of a copy ofSun Picturessold by a relative ofJohn Pascoe Fawknerto theState Library of Victoria,deciphered what was meant by the misleading term 'stereomonoscope;' these were notstereogramsbut "proved to be taken with aPetvzal lens(designed by Viennese scientist) which gave sharp focus to the subject and a diffused focus to the background from which the subject appeared to stand forward, in relief. This lens had been used only for groups and simple figures. [Fauchery's] city views were sharp all over. "

Daintree rejoined the Geological Survey Office in January 1859 and pioneered the use of photography in geological field work. His photographs of the Victorian goldfields were exhibited at the 1862 International Exhibition in London.

Richard Daintree married Lettice Agnes Foot, the daughter of surveyor Henry Foot on 1 December 1857. They would go on to have a family of two sons and six daughters.

Queensland work

Gold washing cradles for sale, probably nearRockhampton.Photo taken by Richard Daintree.

Daintree left the Geological Survey Office to become a resident partner withWilliam Hannin pastoral properties on theBurdekin Riverin 1864. This enabled him to pursue his interests in prospecting and photography.

He made a number of discoveries over the next few years including several goldfields atCape Riverin 1867, Gilbert in 1869 and Etheridge in 1869–70. Daintree was the first person to systematically examine the coal seams near theBowen RiveratCollinsvillein Queensland and discovered a copper deposit on theEinasleigh River.

During his time in Queensland, Daintree advocated a government geological survey office and his lobbying bore fruit when it was established in 1868. He was named as the geologist in charge of north Queensland between 1868 and 1870. During that time, he carried out a geological survey of North Queensland and his photographs of the Cape River goldfields are a valuable record of life on the Queensland goldfields. He was succeeded as government geologist byRobert Logan Jack.

Richard Daintree was also collecting botanical specimens in his travels. Queensland herbarium records show that he collected botanical specimens fromRockhampton, Queenslandand the ranges of Central Queensland. These includedAcacia excelsa Benth.which was once namedAcacia daintreeanabyFerdinand von Mueller.

The goldfields discovered by Daintree played an important part in tiding North Queensland over the collapse of the pastoral boom in the late 1860s although only the Etheridge deposit proved viable in the longer term. However, his work proved crucial to attracting prospectors to North Queensland which led to other discoveries and the early development of the area's gold resources.

Return to England

Richard Daintree was appointed as commissioner in charge of Queensland's display at the 1871 Exhibition of Art and Industry in London. His collections of photographs and geological specimens formed the basis of Queensland's stand at the Exhibition despite the fact that much of his work was lost when the ship carrying Daintree, his family and the display was wrecked in South Africa.

Despite this significant setback, the display made a favourable impression due to his photographs. The Australian colonies were all keen to make a good impression as the Exhibitions were well attended by both potential investors and prospective migrants. Daintree soon established himself as an effective representative of Queensland at the Exhibition.

The success of the display led to Richard Daintree being appointed as Queensland's Agent-General in early 1872 replacingArchibald Archerin that position. In this position, Daintree was asked to organise participation in another six exhibitions. As Agent-General, Daintree worked with great energy stimulating assisted immigration to Queensland, travelling widely to give speeches on the colony and producing attractive handbooks featuring his photography.

However, Queensland premierArthur Macalisterwas disturbed about the quality of some of the new immigrants and evidence of inefficiency and possibly worse in the office. Eventually, Macalister's concerns prompted him to travel to London personally in 1875–76 to investigate the office. Daintree was found to be personally honest and hardworking, and he was made a Companion of theOrder of St Michael and St Georgein May 1876.However, the clerks responsible for routine administration were found to have conducted various malpractices, leading to their dismissal. Daintree's health had deteriorated as well contributing to his resignation from the position.

He spent two winters in the south of France trying to recover from his illnesses. However, he died of tuberculosis inBeckenhamthen inKenton 20 June 1878.

Daintree's photographs are one of few surviving records of early settler life in north Queensland. Ten glass plates are now in the collection of theNational Museum of AustraliainCanberra.

It is likely that the ten glass plates in the National Museum's collection were part of Daintree's efforts to promote Queensland. Their subject matter, mainly that of miners and their living and working conditions, suggest that they may have been used to illustrate the lectures that Daintree gave across Britain to attract immigrants. The bulk of Daintree's glass plates remained in the collection of the Daintree family in England until the 1940s when most of the negatives were donated to the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, though the ten plates remained in the Daintree family collection until they were auctioned in 1982. The successful bidders at that auction then sold the plates to the National Museum in 2007.

List of works

• Daintree, R. (1863). Report on the geology of the district from Bacchus Marsh to Bass's straits / by R. Daintree. Melbourne: John Ferres, Govt. Print.
• Daintree, R. (1873). Queensland, Australia: Its territory, climate and products, agricultural, pastoral and mineral &c., &c. with emigration regulations / Richard Daintree. London]: G. Street.
• Daintree, R. (1878). Note on certain modes of occurrence of gold in Australia / by Richard Daintree. S.l.: Geological Society.
• Daintree, R., Carruthers, W., & Etheridge, R. (1872). Notes on the geology of the colony of Queensland / by R. Daintree; with an appendix containing descriptions of the fossils, by R. Etheridge and W. Carruthers. London: Geological Society.

External links

• Australian National Botanical Gardens biography
• SBS Television page on Daintree's contribution to the development of Australia's goldfields
• University of Melbourne article on Richard Daintree
• Australian Science Festival 1997 biography of Richard Daintree
• Photographs of the Victorian gold rush by Daintree and Fauchery
• Photographs of Indigenous Victorians by Daintree and Fauchery
• Photographs of the Victorian landscape and Melbourne by Daintree and Fauchery
• Richard Daintree's glass plates, National Museum of Australia
• Richard Daintree Photographs 1858-1870,State Library of Queensland