Dwyer and Mackay

J.J. Dwyer moved to Kalgoorlie in the late 1800s with a dream of owning his own photography studio. He worked hard to achieve this, and soon opened a studio in Hannan Street.

Dwyer took countless studio portraits of his many clients, and documented Kalgoorlie and Goldfields life - including social events, landscapes and industrial activities (even in underground mines).

In 1917 Dwyer sold his studio to fellow photographer Thomas Mackay, who ran the studio until 1945.

The Western Australian Museum has digitised several thousand images by Dwyer and Mackay taken from the 1890s to the 1920s. This collection offers a rare insight into the social, industrial and everyday experiences of the people who lived and worked in the region, providing a valuable resource for understanding the history of this community.