29440, John Henry Paul Berthon (1865-1952) Photograph Albums and Sketchbook.
By Tania Schafer | 10 September 2026
In April 2014, the John Oxley Library was fortunate to receive a remarkable donation from Judy Perry of England. The collection comprised two photograph albums and a sketchbook compiled by her grandfather, John Henry Paul Berthon, a young Welsh engineer who arrived in Australia in the mid-1880s to work on railway construction projects in the Rockhampton district before helping to survey and plan the route of the Cairns to Kuranda railway.
John was a man of many talents – an engineer, photographer, sportsman, artist, and amateur musician who enjoyed playing the banjo and singing with local musical societies. Universally known as "Jack", he carefully annotated his photograph albums and sketchbook, providing a fascinating insight into the local environment, Aboriginal peoples, and colonial life through his own witty and humorous observations.
The albums are a treasure trove of remarkable images, offering an intimate portrait of Berthon's personal life and engineering work throughout the Cairns region and North Queensland during the late 19th century.
Photographic album 29440/1

Survey staff and horses breaking camp at Mossman River in 1887. 29440 Photograph John Henry Paul Berthon Album and Sketchbook collection, Image Number 29440-0001-0008, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Cleared land and construction of the Cairns railway in 1888. 29440 Photograph John Henry Paul Berthon Album and Sketchbook collection, Image Number 29440-0001-0050, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Photographic album 29440/2
Artwork 29440/3
Liedertafel program 29440/4

Cairns Liedertafel Programme (7 October 1891). 29440 Photograph John Henry Paul Berthon Album and Sketchbook collection, Image Number: 29440-4-0001 , John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Page from photographic album of John Henry Paul Berthon dressed as Dinah for a performance of 'Villikins and his Dinah' in Cairns in March 1893 and a copy of his newspaper review. 29440 Photograph John Henry Paul Berthon Album and Sketchbook collection, Image Number: 29440-2-0065 , John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

The Cairns Liedertafel 1891. 29440 Photograph John Henry Paul Berthon Album and Sketchbook collection, Image Number: 29440-0002-0092 , John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
29440 - John Henry Paul Berthon Photograph Albums and Sketchbook Catalogue record and links to individual albums
- 29440/1: Photograph album https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE3331156 .
- 29440/2: Photograph album https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE2717955 .
- 29440/3: Sketch book https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE2978557 .
- 29440/4: Cairns Liedertafel programme https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE3349382 .
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