Elizabeth Ison Baker was born to Henry Evans (1816-1890) and Euphemia Baker nee McLeish (1826-1909) in her parents house Alpha Villa, in Goldsborough (Old Dunnolly), Victoria on 28th May 1864. Baker senior was a successful mining investor turned meteorologist who managed the Ballarat Observatory at Mount PLeasant, from 1886-1890 and constructed its 26” Newtonian telescope known as Baker Great Equatorial Telescope. He was assisted in the evenings by his eldest daughter Euphemia (q.v.)a teacher,who took over on his death in 1890. Elizabeth went to school in Inkerman,and as a teenager accompanied Euphemia on her nightly shifts at the Observatory and developed her own skills at astronomical and especially lunar photography. By 1894 Miss E.I.Baker was entering competitions. In the Ballarat Amateur Photographic Association exhibition in July 1894 she had the best print from an untouched negative and the following year a picture published in the Melbourne Sun 'Amateur Photographers Competition for women’ on 1 November 1895. That year Baker also a gold medal at the 1895 International Photographic Exhibition and first prize at the Sydney Exhibition. By 1896 Elizabeth was in charge of the Baker Observatory and undertook complex observations for P.Baracchi the acting Government astronomer earning her a profile, 'Valuable Scientific Work. Miss Ison Baker’s Successful Researches’ in the Ballarat Star 9 July 1896, p.1.
Elizabeth married John Hammerton of Geelong also an amateur photographer in 1902 and continued to be active in the local Camera Club until her premature death in 1908. Her death was noted in the Australian Photo-Review. No original prints by this quite remarkable young woman have been located.
- Writers:
-
- Date written:
- 2022
- Last updated:
- 2022
