The Weekend Edition

Phil Manning

The photographs featured in the Museum of Brisbane’s upcoming exhibition, The view from here: The photographic world of Alfred Elliott 1890-1940, have certainly had a tumultuous life. Conceived in Brisbane at the turn of the 20th century, the massive collection of glass-plate and film negatives were all taken by one resident over the course of 50 years, capturing iconic landmarks, major events and intimate moments of his personal life. After being left and ultimately forgotten under a Red Hill home for decades, the cigar boxes full of negatives were discovered in 1983 and later acquired by the Museum of Brisbane, which stored the relics away for safe-keeping. After hiding out in the museum's storage facility for many years, it was simply by chance that museum curator Phil Manning rediscovered an additional 400 film negatives last year, meaning the museum had enough content to curate a full exhibition and share it with the public. Before The view from here opens on Friday February 13, The Weekend Edition caught up with the man who made the discovery to talk Brisbane, its history and its people.