Portrait of 189 Trooper Henry Joseph Murray

Hand painted opalotype portrait of 189 Henry (Harry) Joseph Murray, B Squadron, 7th Battalion Commonwealth Horse, of Toowoomba, Queensland. Born 3 June 1882 in Warwick, Harry Murray was working as a timber hewer prior to enlistment at Warwick Camp on 3 May 1902. The 7th Australian Commonwealth Horse embarked from Brisbane aboard the transport Custodian for South Africa on 19 May 1902, arriving at Durban on 22 June. Peace having being declared when they were at sea, the Contingent did not proceed to Newcastle, Natal, and instead embarked on the 28th of June aboard the Manchester Merchant for return to Australia. The Contingent was disbanded on 9th August 1902. An Opalotype, alternatively known as "Milk glass positive", was created through the exposure of light-sensitive emulsion on the glass surface to a negative. In this example, an amateur studio assistant has hand-painted the key features of the portrait.