Henri Mallard, a Balmain local, was a photographic supply store worker when construction on what would become an iconic Australian landmark began – the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or the "coat hanger", as it would become affectionately known to locals.
Seeing the bridge slowly take form, Mallard set himself the daunting task of documenting its construction.
Mallard's images would form part of an important historical, as much as artistic, archive.
A new exhibition, Henri Mallard: Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge, showcases the birth of Sydney's Harbour Bridge.
Mallard was one of a select few photographers who were permitted to ascend the coat hanger's great heights. He focused on the people who risked their lives to build the bridge.
"What makes these photos unique is that they showcase a humanist element and contrast it with the monolithic metal form of the bridge as it takes shape," curator Claire Monneraye told Fairfax.
"You've got engineers, riveters, labourers ... situated at great heights, risking their life to create this," Monneraye said.
The photographs on show were printed by another Australian photographic legend, David Moore, from Mallard's original glass type negatives.
"The photos are really dynamic, it's as if you're taken back in time," Monneraye said.
Henri Mallard: Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge is on at Pop-Up Gallery, Darlinghurst, from 16 November to 10 December.
'The Coathanger' under construction. Photo: Henri Mallard