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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Rothschilds, the Montefiores, and the Victorian Gold Rush

Some years ago my colleague Andrea Wolk Rager and I spent several days in the darkened basement of a Rothschild Bank, inspecting every one of the nearly 700 autochromes created immediately before World War I by the youthful Lionel de Rothschild.

More information on The Rothschilds, the Montefiores, and the Victorian Gold Rush

Selected images

8 images
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Forest Creek, Mount Alexander Diggings, 1852 by S. T. Gill
Forest Creek, Mount Alexander Diggings, 1852 by S. T. Gill
The first diggings in Ballarat
The first diggings in Ballarat
Joseph Barrow Montefiore (1803–1893) From L. M. Goldman, The History of the Jews in New Zealand (Wellington, 1958)
Joseph Barrow Montefiore (1803–1893) From L. M. Goldman, The History of the Jews in New Zealand (Wellington, 1958)
Letter from Joseph Barrow Montefiore to N M Rothschild & Sons, 18 December 1851 RA XI/38/7
Letter from Joseph Barrow Montefiore to N M Rothschild & Sons, 18 December 1851 RA XI/38/7
Jacob Levi Montefiore
Jacob Levi Montefiore
Eliezer Levi Montefiore c.1864 by an unknown photographer
Eliezer Levi Montefiore c.1864 by an unknown photographer
Gold buyer, Forest Creek, 1852-3 by S. T. Gill
Gold buyer, Forest Creek, 1852-3 by S. T. Gill
List of beer, wines and spirits shipped by N M Rothschild & Sons to Montefiore. ‘NB – The wines of a good quality – Hunts and Sandemans are preferred.’ RA XI/38/7
List of beer, wines and spirits shipped by N M Rothschild & Sons to Montefiore. ‘NB – The wines of a good quality – Hunts and Sandemans are preferred.’ RA XI/38/7
8 images
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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