Stanley Street, 1873

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The view from Stanley Street, Brisbane. 1873

Thomas Blacket Stephens (1819-1877)

The figures in the foreground of this photograph were identified as Thomas Blacket Stephens and his family, taken from out the front of their home in South Brisbane called 'Cumbooquepa' from the Aboriginal name for the waterholes on the land.

A wealthy businessman and newspaper proprietor, Stephens was also a prominent Brisbane politician, serving as the second mayor of the Brisbane Municipal Council and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland and the Queensland Legislative Council.

On 10 July 1856 Stephens married Anne Connah, and when he died on 26 August 1877 he was survived by his wife and eight children. In 1890, his widow Anne built a newer home 'Cumbooquepa' which was later purchased in 1919 as the boarding school for the Brisbane girls' school Somerville House and is now heritage-listed.

Many thanks to Camilla Stephens and Daphne Stephens, who recognised their great-grandfather Thomas Blacket Stephens from this photograph, and shared his information on the Queensland State Archives Facebook page.

Biographical information sourced from the Australian Dictionary of Biography and Wikipedia.


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Gathering of people on Stanley Street in South Brisbane

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Location of this image


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