This photo of 'a girl's instution' taken in Gulgong in the early 1870s appears to me to be that of a home for very young unmarried mothers.
Some of the girls with small children, and others who appear to be pregnant, look like they have barely reached puberty.
The condition of the girls can be seen more clearly in the original photograph on the State Library of NSW's Holtermann Collection website.
They were all housed in a slab hut with a bark roof.
At the time this photograph was taken, Gulgong had a population of around 10,000.
Some of the girls with small children, and others who appear to be pregnant, look like they have barely reached puberty.
The condition of the girls can be seen more clearly in the original photograph on the State Library of NSW's Holtermann Collection website.
They were all housed in a slab hut with a bark roof.
At the time this photograph was taken, Gulgong had a population of around 10,000.
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| Group outside a girls instution, Gulgong Holtermann Collection, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW, Australia Digital order no.: on4_39062 Not to be copied without permission from the Mitchell Library |
