A.J. Campbell

Naturalist and photographer

By Museums Victoria

Historic images from the collections held at Museum Victoria, Australia

Collecting Wattle (1900 - 1901) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

Archibald James Campbell

"...tall, somewhat lean, but suggesting energy and tireless activity, small shrewd eyes … with a decidedly humorous twinkle … a thick crop of stiff hair, face well covered with a moustache and beard, dressed always in rough surfaced tweed such as Scotchmen love'. from the Australian Dictionary of Biography 

Taking a Wood Duck's Nest (1894 - 1895) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

A picture tells a thousand words

Campbell participated in many field trips, for example with the Field Naturalists Club and the Bird Observers Club. He photographed life on these as well as the lives of early settlers in Australia.

Camp View, Field Naturalists ' Club Expedition to King Island (1887 - 1888) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

Field Naturalists' Club Expedition to King Island in 1887-1888

Bertie's Hut, Field Naturalists ' Club Expedition to King Island (1887 - 1888) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

Bertie's Hut, Field Naturalists' Club Expedition to King Island 1887-1888

Pioneer women in land clearing (1890) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

Pioneer women at their camp in the Dandenongs, Victoria, 1890

Living a challenging life

The Hatter's Hut (1891 - 1892) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

The Hatter's Hut
1890-1891

Forester's hut, Ferntree Gully (1900 - 1901) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

Forester's Hut
Dandenongs, 1900

Ladies' Bath (1903) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

The Ladies' Bath
Creature comforts in the bush - after a fashion

Silver Wattle, Acacia dealbata (1890) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

A passion for the wattle

Campbell established the Wattle Club in 1899 to celebrate Australia's Floral Emblem and published a seminal book about the tree in 1921

Amy Campbell with Wattle, Archibald James Campbell, 1921 - 1922, From the collection of: Museums Victoria
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Campbell's daugher-in-law, Amy

Coastal Wattle, Acacia longifolia, Archibald James Campbell, 1921/1922, From the collection of: Museums Victoria
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Coastal Wattle, Acacia longifolia

Cootamundra Wattle (1921) by Archibald James CampbellMuseums Victoria

Cootamundra Wattle, Acacia baileyana

Credits: Story

The A.J. Campbell collection at Museum Victoria consists of 2,772 images made up of a combination of black and white prints and glass negatives. Many of the images of birds and nests were used by Campbell in his book Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds, including the Geographical Distribution of the Species and Popular Observations Thereon, published in 1900. There is also a significant number of images taken by Campbell on his various field trips around Australia with groups such as the Ornithologists Union, Victorian Field Naturalists, The Working Men's College Photographic Club and his family.
More images from the A.J. Campbell collection can be viewed on MV Collections

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.
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