The biographies below are from my research and I apologise for any errors or omissions.
‘Nothing found’ means I have been unable to locate any information, not that it doesn’t exist. Dates can be confusing as sources vary.
I have used the following authors and web sites to source the information used on this page, and recommend their books for further reading and research:
Authors: Hardwicke Knight, William Main, David Eggleton, John Gow, John B.Turner.
Web sites: TimeFrames, PapersPast, Auckland City Libraries Photographers Database, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.
Clicking on any underlined name will take you directly to that persons work.
BARKER, Alfred Charles 1819-1873
Alfred Charles Barker was born in Hackney, London, England, on 5 January 1819 and came to Christchurch, New Zealand in 1850. The only doctor on the Canterbury Plains at that time, he had a large and often strenuous practice. He had to abandon his medical practice in 1855 after a fall from a horse. Taking up photography about 1858, he built a darkroom at his home on Cathedral Square, and devoted himself to photographing family and friends, the growing settlement, local events, his land purchases, and zoological specimens of interest. This historical collection is now in the Canterbury Museum.
BATT & RICHARDS
William James Batt, 1867-1875.
E.S.Richards, 1860’s-1870’s
H.T.Richards, 1880’s.
The partnership operated under the name of the Wellington School of Photography in 1867. The Lambton Quay, Wellington studio was sold in March, 1871, but continued until January 1874 when the partnership was dissolved and William continued the business alone. Interestingly Batt's partner was then H.T.Richards, whereas is was E.S.Richards that was associated with the Wellington School of Photography.
BEATTIE & SANDERSON 1867-1931
William Beattie was born 1867, Aberdeen, Scotland, came to Auckland in 1894, died 15 March 1931. The firm of Beattie & Sanderson were based in Auckland, 1898-1901. His first premises were in Shortland Street at the corner of Princes Street, but he subsequently had a 3 storey building constructed at the corner of Bank St. The shop and general living areas were on the ground floor, with photographic workrooms and darkrooms at the top.
The original glass plate negatives are in the Auckland Museum.
With his son William Jr operated as W.Beattie & Co in 1911. Father and son were photographers for the Auckland Weekly News in 1923. William Jr died 1991. I have found no information on Sanderson, who may have been a silent partner.
BURTON BROS
Alfred Burton 1834-1914
Walter Burton 1836-1880
Alfred Burton joined his younger brother Walter to form Burton Brothers in 1867 or 1868. Walter managed the studio business, while Alfred toured the country with his cameras. As the business grew the brothers employed more photographers, among them George Moodie and Thomas Muir. When Walter Burton committed suicide in 1880 Thomas Muir took over the studio portrait work, and was made a full partner in 1883. During the 1880’s, Alfred’s son Harold, who he was training to take his place, was working as a photographer until he lost an arm from a gunshot wound in 1891. George Moodie than took over much of the scenic work. Alfred continued the business until 1898 when he sold it to Muir and Moodie. For 16 years after giving up photography Alfred Burton was a teacher of elocution, with rooms at 5 Liverpool Street, Dunedin. Alfred Burton died in Dunedin on 2 February 1914.
CAMERON, Ron
As a teenager Ron lived in Wexford Rd, Miramar, Wellington, and photographed the construction of Wellington Airport. As the hills were flattened, and used as fill for Cobham Drive, houses, including his own, were moved onto this reclaimed Evan’s Bay land in Kilbirnie, where many remain today. Ron has documented most of this in this collection of 35mm negatives.
COXHEAD, Frank Arnold 1851-1919
Frank came to Otago, with his parents and stepbrother Harry in 1858. Harry set up as a photographer in Dunedin, 1868, with a branch in Timaru. Frank followed in 1872 and took over the studio of J.W.Allen in Princes St., Dunedin. They operated as Coxhead Bros, with another branch in Invercargill, until Harry died about 1885. Frank then opened a studio on the corner of High St and Princes St, Dunedin in 1890. These were very luxurious with reception room, dressing rooms, speaking tubes, a lift, as well as the working areas needed to run a studio. Frank had designed these rooms after visits to studios in Europe and America. Around 1898 Frank sold his negatives to Burton Bros and left Dunedin for good. It’s likely he went to America where it’s known a child was born in 1901. Burton Bros in their catalogue of 1901 include some Coxhead images with F.A.C. removed and the Burton Bros name added. This seems to be normal practice among photographers of the time. F.A.Coxhead is best known for his landscape images, signed F.A.C.
CUTTEN, Len 1.5.1911-25.7.1998
Len’s training was as an artist and he worked as a commercial artist, but his passion was to paint. After touring Europe, Middle East, India, and Australia, with his wife Jean, in a Commer camper van, Len retired to Otaki and became a full time painter. He used photography mainly as an aid for his art work. There is a large family collection of slides waiting to be looked at. Len was my father-in-law.
DE MAUS, David Alexander 1847-1925
D. A. De Maus was born in Edinburgh in 1847. He came to Dunedin, NZ in 1867 at the age of 20. His brother James De Maus, a photographer in Edinburgh 1864-65, had come to Dunedin a few years earlier and opened a studio. David, who wrote songs and composed music, and probably looking for adventure, toured the West Coast goldfields with humorous songs and sketches. Making his home in Port Chalmers in 1872 he started a photography business at 62 George Street. Photographing ships at Port Chalmers seems to be a particular passion of De Maus, whether this was for business or pleasure I don’t know, but the photographs are a fantastic maritime record. 1872-1925 are his known years of activity as a photographer. Active in the local sports clubs and the town council where he served as councillor 1877-78, 1884-1888, was mayor four times 1899-1901, 1903-06, 1909-1910 and 1912-13. He died on 17th July 1925, aged 77 and is buried at the new Port Chalmers Cemetery. David De Maus collections are held at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington and the Hocken Library in Dunedin.
DEVERIL, Herbert 1840-1911
A Melbourne photographer, Herbert arrived in NZ in 1873, with his wife and 5 children, to take charge of the photolithographic branch of the Government Printing Office. He seems to have resigned c.1879 and opened his own studio, but quickly ran into trouble, being declared bankrupt in May 1879. His negatives were purchased from his bankrupt estate by Wrigglesworth and Binns. In 1880 he was hired as a portraitist by James Bragge, but was again running his own business in 1881. He again filed for bankruptcy in 1882. It would appear he was no businessman. Studios in Wellington 1879-1884 and Auckland 1885-1891.
ELLIOTT
I know little about the Elliott's, but they appear to have resided in New Lynn, Auckland, that’s where the film was developed. This collection of negatives covers their travels all over the North Island, from the Far North to Wellington, from 1930 to 1941. Going by the content of the negatives the trips involved Mom, Dad, and two or three daughters; it appears to be the daughters who were the photographers, but if just one or more I don’t know. But one of them took at least one shot of every town that they passed through, which is the main content of this collection. There are few candid shots, Mom or Dad are seen in some shots, but only in the background, which makes me think there was more than one photographer, each one taking the shots they wanted for their own album. The family appears fairly well-to-do, travelling as they do by car, and as no camping gear can be seen, staying at hotels and guesthouses along the way. Condition of the images varies, most are slightly out-of-focus, there is some camera-shake, unfortunately this makes about half unusable. The collection consists of about 200 negatives, and must be only a fraction of what they took in earlier and later years. How I would like to see those!
If you are related to this family I would like to hear from you so I can update/correct my information.
FICKLING, K.
Amateur. Nothing more found.
FINCH, F.
Queenstown based photographer. Operated 1878-1900. Nothing more found.
FOY BROS
Joseph Michael Foy 1847-1923
James Joseph Foy 1845-1890
Brothers Joseph Michael and James Joseph arrived in New Zealand with their father, James Foy, in 1849. Joseph Michael worked first as a builder with his father in Onehunga, before joining the photographer Hartley Webster in 1867. He set up on his own in 1868/69, and in 1872 joined his brother, James Joseph in establishing Foy Bros studio in Pollen St, Thames. James Joseph died on 17 January 1890 aged 45 and Joseph continued the business until 1902. Studio in Auckland 1911-17. George Foy, son of James Joseph, was a photographer in Waihi 1900-02, he died in 1908.
HART, CAMPBELL & Co
In the 1870’s William Paterson Hart and Charles Campbell operated as travelling photographers around the South Island, selling scenic images through an agent, before opening a portrait studio in Tay St. Invercargill, August 1880. When the partnership was dissolved in 1886 Hart carried on in the Tay St. studio, but is declared bankrupt in 1888. Campbell is operating in Tay St. studio in 1889 and Hart has studio in Beach St., Queenstown. Both remained active after 1900.
Le GRICE, Charles Edward 1881-1959
Charles Edward (Ted) Le Grice was born on 6 May 1881 in Cabbage Bay, Coromandel. He lived near Okere Falls, Rotorua, and worked as a photographer and artist in and around Rotorua. I have found no photos dated after 1922, by which time he was in Piha where he owned a boarding house. He died 12 December 1959 at Auckland hospital.
LOCK, Henry Thomas
Lock had a studio in Palmerston St, Westport, 1881, and continued to work in Westport until about 1928. He spent time travelling around the early goldmining towns of the West Coast, taking views, and portraits of the miners and their families. Setting up a temporary studio, then packing up and moving to the next town, following the gold rush. Born c.1844, died about 1932. Images signed H.T.L.
MARTIN, Josiah 1843-1916
Born London, England, 1843, died Northcote, 1916, aged 73. Josiah arrived in New Zealand in 1867 with his wife and baby daughter. In 1874 he founded a private academy, later to become Grafton District School, where he was headmaster until 1874. In January 1875 he opened the Auckland Model Training School to provide a practical and technical course of instruction to students, and practical training for pupil-teachers in Symonds Street. He resigned his headmastership in 1879, to concentrate on photography, and opened a photographic business and studio on the corner of Queen and Grey Streets, Auckland, in partnership with W. H. T. Partington. After the partnership was dissolved he opened another studio in Edson's building, Queen Street, Auckland City. Martin later sold the portrait business to Charles Hemus and transferred his premises to Victoria Arcade. His family donated his negatives to the Auckland Institute and Museum in 1958.
Best known for his work on the Pink and White Terraces, and the before and after of the Tarawera eruption. He delivered a paper on the terraces to the Geological Society of London in 1883.
Photographs are signed JM.
MATHESON, Catherine Euphemia
Catherine Euphemia Matheson had acquired David Alexander De Maus's studio at 62 George Street, Port Chalmers by 1932, but was probably employed at the studio much earlier.
MEERS, Robert William
R W Meers and Co opened their Colombo Street Studio in Christchurch, 20 September 1886, and worked in Christchurch for many years. Operated a studio in Tauranga from 1911-1929. Nothing more found.
MUNDY, Daniel Louis 1826-1881
Daniel Louis Mundy was born, about 1826-7, in Wiltshire, England, the son of James Mundy, a confectioner, and his wife, Sarah. Mundy arrived in Dunedin in 1864 with sufficient capital to buy William Meluish's photographic business. Probably in 1865 Mundy moved to Christchurch where he entered into partnership with Braham La Mert. By 1867 he was working alone as a portrait photographer, but after a photographic expedition to the West Coast in 1868 he set out in 1869 to travel New Zealand, taking views and selling prints as he went. He was possibly the first New Zealand photographer to concentrate exclusively on this branch of the profession. He displayed his photographs in Wellington in 1872, and in the mid 1870s departed for England to further his career. Mundy moved to New South Wales, then Victoria, in 1875. He returned briefly to New Zealand in 1877 and gave a number of illustrated lectures based on his work. In 1880 he was working as a photographer in Sydney. He died at Emerald Hill, Victoria, on 30 November 1881.
RING, James 1856-1939
James Ring was born at Camberwell, Surrey, England, on 6 April 1856, and arrived at Wellington, 16 July 1879, where he set up a studio. He was not to stay long, his constitution proving incompatible with Wellington's climate, leaving for Greymouth that year, and re-established himself as a photographer. Ring was alert to the many opportunities that the West Coast afforded the enterprising photographer and built up an extensive catalogue of outdoor photographs. The spectacular West Coast scenery, the gold industry and the frontier settlements were all captured by his wide-ranging camera. From his studio on Mawhera Quay he was able to record the frequent shipwrecks and floods that were to mark Greymouth's history. After a studio fire, in which a number of his negatives were lost, he amalgamated in 1924 with L. A. Inkster, the business continuing as Ring and Inkster until his retirement in 1929. Ring’s son Claude, followed his father into photography, with studio’s in Auckland, 1916-20, and Christchurch, 1925-52.
SEARLE, Roland James 1904-1985
Searle's interest in photography began while a student at Wellington College, and continued when he left school to begin work as a bank clerk in Wellington. He would wander the streets during lunch, and in his spare time, with his folding Kodak. What’s evident, in my opinion from these shots, is that he had a very good eye, taking time with the focus, light, and composition. He became a member of the Wellington Amateur Photographic Society in the 1920’s. Exhibited at the Auckland Art Gallery exhibition of pictorial photography in 1932.
SHELTON, G.W.
Living in Niho Niho 1919. Studio in Auckland 1932. Exhibited in the Auckland Art Gallery exhibition of pictorial photography in 1932. Nothing more found.
SMITH, Sydney Charles 1888-1972
S. C. Smith was one of Wellington’s most enterprising and prolific photographers. From 1909 until the 1960s his work regularly featured in New Zealand’s main urban daily and weekly newspapers. Based in Wellington, Smith took photographs in towns and cities all over New Zealand, many of these were published as postcards. After his death the Turnbull was given 4500 of his glass-plate negatives.
SORRELL, Charles 1855-1932
Charles Sorrell was working in Wellington from 1879 to 1884. By 1887 he had relocated the studio to Napier. He died on 24 December 1932 aged 77 and is buried in Park Island Cemetery, Napier. Charles Sorrell's son, Percy, also became a well-known Napier photographer.
TARLTON, Eric 21.6.1894-28.10.1954
I have a small collection of negatives from this amateur photographer dating from 1921 to 1946. Eric spent his early working life on lighthouses around the North Island, I think as a relieving assistant-keeper, before making a career with HM Customs.
TYREE
Frederick 1867-1924
William 1855-1924
William and Frederick Tyree came to New Zealand from England with their parents in 1871. The brothers were involved in gold exploration and engineering in Queenstown. They later moved to Nelson, and in 1878 began a photographic business in Trafalgar Street, earning an income taking carte de visite portraits. By 1895, the business had expanded to include tourist promotional images. William’s partnership with his brother did not last long as Frederick left in 1889, and set up as a photographer in Takaka, eventually leaving professional photography about 1906 to farm at Collingwood, he also ran the Collingwood Hotel at various times. By 1896 William had left for Sydney to start a firm, Tyree and Tyree, Engineers and Ironworkers.
Although the brothers had established the Tyree Studio, for the majority of its years it was run by Rosaline (Rose) Margaret Frank (1864-1954) who started work with them in 1886 at the age of twenty one. Rose Frank became the central figure in the Tyree Studio, managing the business for fifty two years, and owning it from 1914.
The Tyree Studio collection, covering the years 1882-1947, is in the Nelson Provincial Museum.
VALENTINE & SON
Valentines of Dundee, a photographic company which produced Scottish topographical views from the 1860s, and later became internationally famous as the producers of picture postcards was founded in 1851 by James Valentine (1815-1879). Photographers were employed to take images in Scotland, England, and later abroad, including Norway, Jamaica, Tangiers, Morocco, Madeira and New Zealand before 1900, then sold under the Valentine & Son name. Images are identified by the initials JV and are sometimes confused with those of James’s son, George Valentine of Nelson (1852-90), who signed his work GV.
WALKER, Douglas A. 9.12.1911-13.3.1984
Amateur. Nothing found.
WRIGGLESWORTH & BINNS
James Dacie Wrigglesworth 1836-1906
Frederick Charles Binns. 1843-1915
James Dacie Wrigglesworth began his photographic career in Wellington in 1863, by going into partnership with George Henry Swan (1833-1913). Swan moved to Napier later that year to open a branch. When the partnership was dissolved in 1866 Wrigglesworth continued using the Swan name, and sometimes only his. Binns was employed in 1871 as his assistant and they formed a partnership in February 1874. After Wrigglesworth's wife and 2 children were killed in the wreck of the Cyrus off the coast of Wellington in March, 1874, Wrigglesworth left New Zealand for Australia. He stayed away for nine years leaving Binns to run the business, which he did with great success. Building on Swan & Wigglesworth’s reputation, Wrigglesworth & Binns was to became the leading portrait studio in the country. After Wrigglesworth returned in 1883 the tension between the two must have built up. Binns had built the business and was now second fiddle. In 1893 they took over Eden, George & Co in Christchurch, and Dunedin. Binns moved to Christchurch and ran the studio as Wrigglesworth & Binns. Although rebuilt the Wellington studio never recovered after a disastrous fire in January 1901 in which all of their negatives were destroyed. The Wellington studio closed in 1905 and Wrigglesworth moved to Melbourne where he died in 1906. Binns ran the Christchurch branch until his death in August 1915, aged 71, after being knocked down by a car in Christchurch. The studio continued to operate with various owners until 1939. Photographs are signed W&B.
UNKNOWN
Many of the negatives and photographs in my collection have no photographer identified; while some could be ‘attributed’ to a known photographer I have preferred to use Unknown until such time I can make a positive identification.