File:Family on the veranda of their home on the outskirts of Brisbane, 1872 (8755938322).jpg

Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Description: The early part of William Boag's career was spent in Sydney where he was in partnership with portrait photographer Joseph Charles Milligan. (Images made by Boag are in the collection of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society.)
Boag arrived in Queensland in November 1871. He travelled around the south-east, along the foreshore of Moreton Bay and the township of Cleveland. He then moved into the Logan and Albert area where he captured images of local crushing mills and sugar plantations. While at Yatala, he took on a partner, John Henry Mills, and by the end of 1872, both men were in Stanthorpe where they remained for several months, producing views of the booming tin-mining settlement.
In July 1873, after stopping off in Warwick, Boag and Mills extended their operations to Mackay, where they remained until October 1875. During this time, Boag made trips to St Lawrence and Cooktown, however his movements after this are difficult to trace. It is known that by mid 1876 he was at Copperfield and Clermont, and in February 1878, he inserted a notice in the Peak Downs Telegram announcing that he was leaving for the west. Then information ceases abruptly. It is possible that Boag never reached his destination, since his death certificate records that he died in 1878 at an unknown location.
This small cottage evidently accomodated a family of five people. It was a dwelling that probably was constructed quickly, lasted a short time and was rapidly demolished. It is of a style that has little relation to Queensland vernacular achitecture as it subsequently evolved. The house sits very low on the ground and has little in the way of cross ventilation. The absence of a side window is also unusual. The one break with the austerity of the structure is the decorative edge of the verandah roof. The drinking cups and saucers on the railings may have been the remains of afternoon tea offered to the photographer. (Information taken from: D. Byrne, A Travelling photographer in colonial Queensland : the work of William Boag, 1994)
View this image at the State Library of Queensland: http://hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/208735
Information about State Library of Queensland’s collection: http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/picture-queensland