Falk Studios was established by Melbourne-born photographer H. Walter Barnett in George Street, Sydney in 1885. Barnett started his career in Stewart's portrait studio in Melbourne, opened his own rooms in Hobart and worked in the USA and London before returning to Sydney to set up his business there. In 1888 he opened a second Sydney studio, in Pitt Street, and in 1895 Falk Studios opened in Melbourne, managed by Barnett's sister Phoebe and brother Charles. Barnett moved to London to set up a studio in 1898, but Falk Studios continued to operate into the late 1930s.