Ernest Gall (14 April 1863 – 19 April 1925) was a prolific commercial photographer in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, who was praised for the artistic quality of his work.

History

Gall, a son of printer David Gall, first came to public notice in 1889 with a series on the newly-developed irrigation colony at Renmark. He was previously employed as assistant to McLean Brothers, Rigg and Co., ironmongers in

Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street and West Terrace, Adelaide, West Terrace. Th ...

, but finding the work tiresome, decided to turn his hobby of photography into a full-time occupation. He was the first in South Australia to do

half-tone Halftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous-tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect.Campbell, Alastair. ''The Designer's Lexicon''. ©2000 Chronicl ...

prints. He was successful in supplying photographs for illustrated catalogues. He was one of the oldest members of the South Australian Photographic Society, having joined before 1889. From around 1900 he was mostly involved in judging and exhibiting non-competitively. By 1893 he was working for Walter Scott-Barry, (c. 1849 – 5 October 1911) ex-Government photographer who had studios at 146

Rundle Street Rundle Street, often referred to as "Rundle Street East" as distinct from Rundle Mall, is a street in the East End of the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street to East Terrace, where it becomes Ru ...

from 1890 to 1896, moved to

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

, then

Warrnambool, Victoria Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...

. In 1894 he made a glass-plate copy of Henry Jones'
1872 mosaic collection of Old Colonists
in which 24 portraits are somewhat different from Jones's original held by the State Library. The circumstances around this work are not explained. By 1895 he had his own studio in

Grenfell Street Grenfell Street () is a major street in the north-east quarter of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. The street runs west-east from King William Street to East Terrace. Its intersection with Pulteney Street is formed by Hindmarsh Squa ...

, later at Alma Chambers in

Pirie Street Pirie Street is a road on the east side of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It runs east–west, between East Terrace and King William Street. After crossing King William Street, it continues as Waymouth Street. It forms the south ...

, and was official photographer for many high-profile events, including balls at Government House and at Federation conventions. In 1898 he began using

flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * The Flash, several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Barry Allen ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ...

illumination. In later years he concentrated on portraiture, working from a studio at his home, "Woodbridge" at Tynte Street east, North Adelaide. He was active in promoting North Adelaide as a part of the city, rather than a suburb. It was there he died, on 19 April 1925. Though courteous and urbane, he was of a shy and retiring nature, played no part in public affairs, and never married.

Publications

*''Gall's Glimpses of Adelaide and South Australia'' Hussey & Gillingham (1902) "an exquisitely printed reproduction of 80 of the beautifully clear and artistic views of architecture and out-of-door scenes for which Mr. Ernest Gall is famed as a photographer." *
Gall's South Australian Scenes
' (1904) "a companion booklet to ''Gall's Glimpses of Adelaide and South Australia''"

Legacy

The

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research li ...

holds
large collection of his historic photographs
mostly of buildings, taken 1889–1910, particularly the earlier date.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gall, Ernest Australian photographers 1863 births 1925 deaths Colony of South Australia people