Elizabeth Ison Baker was born in Goldsborough 28th May 1864, the youngest daughter of Euphemia and Captain Henry Evans Baker, later a mining investor and self-taught astronomer. Captain Baker was in charge of Ballarat Observatory from 1886-1890 where he constructed a 26” Great Equatorial Telescope. Baker seems to have encourage technical expertise in his children, his eldest Euphemia born 1853 (nb not the niece Effie Baker of Baháʼí faith q.v.) became a teacher and assisted in the Observatory at night. Euphemia took on the management of the Observatory on Captain Baker’s death in 1890. Elizabeth may have assisted Euphemia. By the early 1890s Elizabeth now in her thirties, had developed her own skills as an amateur photographer and become expert at astronomical and lunar photography. By 1894 'Miss E.I.Baker’ was winning prizes in the Ballarat Amateur Photographic Association competitions and had a picture published in the Melbourne Sun 'Amateur Photographers Competition for women’ on 1 November. The _Ballarat Star _of 13 July noted Baker was showing photographs of phases of the moon and the issue of 16 July 1894 reported that she had won the quarter-plate camera prize for the best print from an untouched negative. That year Baker also a gold medal at the 1895 International Photographic Exhibition and first prize at the Sydney Exhibition. Her tableau 'The Novice’ was reproduced in the newspapers.
In 1896 Elizabeth was in charge of the Baker Observatory and undertook complex observations for the acting Government astronomer P.Baracchi, earning her a profile, 'Valuable Scientific Work. Miss Ison Baker’s Successful Researches’ in the Ballarat Star 9 July 1896, p.1. She received an award from the Royal Geographical Society for a photograph of the moon made using her late father’s telescope. The range of Baker’s work in the photographic salons included an ambitious two part tableau of a young woman choosing to become a nun which won second prize in the_ Australasian_ newspaper’s third photographic competition published on 28 November November 1896. By 1898 she was on the committee of the Ballarat Amateur Photographic Association.
In 1902 Elizabeth Baker married jeweller John Hammerton of Geelong – also an amateur photographer, and continued to be active until her premature death in 1908 after a six month illness. Her death was noted in the _Australian Photographic Journal_of 20 September 1909 (p.313)and reference made to her photographic work with flowers, clouds and colour (autochome at this date) and activity with the Gordon College Amateur Photography Society. No original prints by this quite remarkable woman have been located but lunar photographs in the Ballarat or or Melbourne Observatory archives may be her work.
- Writers:
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- Date written:
- 2022
- Last updated:
- 2022
