Summary

This photograph depicts a large group of mostly women and children, with three men present in the back row, posed in front of a makeshift screen or shelter under a stand of trees. The group of approximately fifty-six has the men and women standing in two rows while in front of them sit three rows of children, with the front row sitting on the ground. Though all members of the group are well-dressed, the little boys in the front row are barefooted. This occasion was most likely a Sunday School picnic. The women all appear to be dressed in either long skirts, with lacy or ruffled blouses, or dresses with ribbon accents. Several of them are wearing wide-brimmed straw hats. The little girls mostly wear long-sleeved lacy smock dresses, though the girl second from left in middle row has a sailor collar. The two men on the right appear to be wearing suits and ties while the older man on the left wears a light-coloured long-sleeved shirt and trousers with braces. This group is most likely from St. Margaret's Church in Croydon. This photograph was taken in North Queensland but the exact location is unknown.

Due to the isolation experienced by most of the residents in the Normanton and Croydon areas, bush picnics, organized by social clubs and church groups, were a popular outing. These picnics were often for men, women, and children, but sometimes a women's church group would organize a ladies' tea out in the bush. While the events themselves were somewhat informal and social, everyone would wear their "Sunday best". While social etiquette required arms, shoulders and legs to be covered, especially for women, the fabrics used would have been lightweight and durable, such as cotton and thin wool, in deference to the climate.

The photographs in this collection were taken by the Reverend Frederic Charles Hall (1878-1926) during the period 1902-1909 when he was the Anglican Curate appointed to Georgetown in North Queensland. Hall's foremost hobby was photography. He used both a half-plate camera with tripod made by J. Lancaster & Son, Birmingham and a quarter-plate Austral No. 3 made by the Australian company, Baker & Rouse. Glass negatives from Ilford and Austral were used; developing was done by the photographer himself and printing by exposure to sunlight.