Burton Brothers facts for kids
Burton Brothers shop, circa 1870, Dunedin, by Burton Brothers
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| photographic studio | |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Defunct | 1914 |
| Headquarters | Dunedin, New Zealand |
Burton Brothers was a very important photography studio in Dunedin, New Zealand, during the late 1800s. It was started in 1866 by Walter John Burton, who first called it the Grand Photographic Saloon and Gallery. The studio was located on Princes Street, Dunedin.
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The Story of Burton Brothers
Walter Burton came from a family of printers and photographers in Derby, England. His father, John Burton, had his own business. Walter's brothers, Alfred Henry Burton, Oliver, and John William Burton, were also involved in the family business. Alfred had moved to New Zealand earlier, then to Australia, and back to England.
Starting the Business
In 1866, Walter and his wife Helen moved to Dunedin, New Zealand. At that time, Dunedin was a busy and rich city because of the recent Otago gold rush. Walter started his photography business, and it quickly became successful.
Because of this success, Walter asked his brother Alfred to join him in 1868. Alfred traveled to New Zealand with his wife Lydia and daughter Oona. The two brothers then formed a business partnership called Burton Brothers.
Capturing New Zealand
The Burton Brothers studio became very popular. Alfred often traveled across New Zealand to take amazing landscape photographs. Meanwhile, Walter stayed in Dunedin, focusing on taking portraits of people in the studio.
Their business offered two main services. They took studio portraits for the settlers living in New Zealand. They also captured images of New Zealand's beautiful landscapes and interesting scenes of Māori culture. These pictures were very popular with tourists and travelers visiting New Zealand, as well as collectors around the world. The images were sold as individual prints, postcards, and even in special photo albums.
The Burton Brothers were pioneers in using mobile darkrooms. In 1869, they had a special photographic van built. This van worked as a moving darkroom and also helped them safely transport their heavy and delicate camera equipment.
A Family Business Changes
Even though the partnership was successful, it ended in 1877. This was mainly due to personal differences between Walter and Alfred. After the partnership ended, Walter started his own photography studio.
Alfred continued the Burton Brothers business. He was joined by his younger brother John and also hired other talented photographers like George Moodie and Thomas Muir. Sadly, Walter passed away in 1880. After this, John returned to England.
Alfred Burton kept running the business with Moodie and Muir as his partners until he retired in 1898. Alfred passed away in Dunedin in 1914. Moodie and Muir continued to operate the firm under the Burton Brothers name until it finally closed in 1916.
Legacy of Their Work
Alfred Burton is considered one of New Zealand's most important photographers from the 1800s. His series of photographs of Māori people in the southwestern North Island is very significant. This collection, called "Through the King Country with a camera: a photographers diary," was published in the Otago Daily Times newspaper in 1885.
Alfred's stunning pictures of Fiordland were so impressive that they helped convince the New Zealand Government to name the region a National Park.
During the 1880s, Alfred traveled widely across the South Pacific. He photographed daily village life in places like Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga. He also took a series of pictures showing the damage caused by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera. He even re-photographed some locations he had visited before the eruption to show the changes.
Many of the Burton Brothers' photographs and much of their original camera equipment were collected by a Dunedin photographer and historian named Hardwicke Knight. These valuable items are now kept at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, where people can learn about their amazing work.
