professional photographer, was born in Sydney, one of the three children of Abraham Polack (1797-1873), a Jewish emancipist trader, and his wife Hannah, née Brian. Isaac’s grandfather, Solomon Joel Polack, was a London miniature painter. From 1845 until he took over the business in 1847, Isaac Polack managed the Sydney daguerreotype studio of his brother-in-law, George Baron Goodman , at 321 Castlereagh Street. On 11 October 1847 Polack advertised (in his own name) that he would be taking daguerreotypes at his private residence, 49 Hunter Street, for three months; the following month he was offering 'coloured portraits at the reduced price of one guinea, including a handsome morocco case’. (Although Goodman had charged a guinea without either colouring or case this seems to have been Polack’s standard price, but he continued to label it 'reduced’.)
In 1848 Polack visited New Zealand, advertising in Auckland from May to August, then resumed business at his Hunter Street home in September. After another short absence he was exhibiting 'a true likeness of Jackey Jackey’, the Aboriginal hero of Edmund Kennedy 's fatal expedition, at Sydney in March 1849. In June Polack moved his studio from his private residence to 'rooms formerly occupied by him at Mr. Morley’s, Hunter Street, opposite the Union Bank’ (on the corner of O’Connell Street). This does not appear to have proved financially viable; by September he had opened a photographic studio with its own separate entrance at his father’s auction rooms, 489 George Street. During Polack’s 'temporary absence’ from December 1849 until the end of June 1850 Goodman reverted to being studio manager and operator of the daguerreotype camera, while another 'experienced artist’ was employed to colour the images. The resulting daguerreotypes cost only 12s 6d, including case, for competitors were now appearing in ever-increasing numbers.
Polack resumed the production of 'coloured daguerreotype drawings’ on 1 July 1851, having acquired 'new backgrounds &c.’ on his travels. Operating from above Mr Sheil’s tailor’s shop at 10 Bridge Street, he now offered two types of daguerreotype—the continuing cheap portrait and a higher quality one for 17s 6d. Twelve months later Polack was back at his Hunter Street residence, the cost of a 'superior likeness’ having reverted to the standard guinea. He was still advertising portraits in September 1851 but is not known to have continued beyond that year.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
