IN OLD KALGOORLIE: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF J.J. DWYER

27 March – 30 June 2010

To celebrate the re-launch of "In Old Kalgoorlie", the WA Museum will have on display a collection of framed photographs taken by J.J. Dwyer.

John Joseph “J.J.” Dwyer was a prolific photographer born in the Victorian goldfields at Gaffney’s Creek. J.J. Dwyer began taking photographs when he was 21, soon making it his career. After working around Victoria he moved to the Coolgardie goldfields in 1896 finding enough gold to eventually set up a studio and home next to the Palace Hotel in Kalgoorlie in 1900.

For the next fourteen years he photographed the people, environment and events of Kalgoorlie and the goldfields. Dwyer was often commissioned by mining companies to record their progress including the arrival of new machinery, VIP visits and even the underground workings.

This exhibition is produced inhouse by WA Museum – Kalgoorlie-Boulder staff