Having appeared for the first time in Johannesburg as "The Eastern Star", the daily newspaper was to be published on the Witwatersrand from 1889 under the name "The Star".

In the 1920s, the photographer David Barnett, brother to the late photographer Joseph Barnett, was approached by Mr C.D. Don, Editor of "The Star" from 1915 to 1938, persuading him to sell the collection of photographs to "The Star", which he did.

In 1966 the photographs of the Barnett brothers were published by "The Star" as "The Barnett Collection: a pictorial record of early Johannesburg". But the more than 2100 photographs, made by the Barnett brothers between the 1890s-1913, not only cover early Johannesburg, but a wide range of topics and locations in Southern Africa, thereby offering a rich historical glimpse through the lenses of these photographers.

Joseph Barnett was born in 1861(?) in Brynmawr, Wales as one of 6 children of Barnett and Ellen Isaacs. He came to Johannesburg around 1888/9, where he started a photographic business in 1895, later joined by his brother David. Both brothers obtained contracts with periodical publications like the illustrated London journal "Black & White". Joseph Barnett died while on holiday in Wales and was buried at his birthplace on the 23 July 1897.
His brother David not only continued with the business Barnett & Co., but also took over Joseph's appointment as special correspondent of "Black and White", taking the photographic work of the brothers further. In the years to follow he contributed many of his pictures of the South African War (1899-1902), published by 'Black and White', and later launched a series of postcards in about 1902. David Barnett died at the age of 90 in 1964.