May and Mina Moore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
May Moore
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Annie May Moore (1881-1931), by unknown photographer, 1900-15
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| Born | Annie May Moore 4 January 1881 Wainui, New Zealand |
| Died | 10 June 1931 (aged 50) Pittwater, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse | Henry Hammon Wilkes |
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Mina Moore
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Minnie Louise Moore (1882-1957), self-portrait
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| Born | Minnie Louise Moore 6 October 1882 Wainui, New Zealand |
| Died | 30 January 1957 (aged 74) Croydon, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse | William Tainsh |
May and Mina Moore were two amazing sisters from New Zealand. They became famous photographers, first in Wellington, New Zealand, and later in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. They were known for their special way of taking portraits, like the famous painter Rembrandt. They photographed many well-known artists, musicians, and writers of their time.
Contents
Growing Up: May and Mina's Early Lives
Annie May Moore (known as May) was born in Wainui, New Zealand, on January 4, 1881. Her sister, Minnie Louise Moore (known as Mina), was born the next year, on October 6, 1882. Their mother, Sarah Jane, was from New Zealand. Their father, Robert Walter Moore, came from England and worked as a farmer and sawyer.
May showed a talent for art from a young age. Her mother encouraged her to study at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland, New Zealand. Around 1906 or 1907, May started earning money from her art. She sold ink and pencil drawings at the New Zealand International Exhibition (1906) in Christchurch.
Starting Their Photography Business in New Zealand
Mina was a schoolteacher before she started working with photography around 1907. Soon after, the sisters decided to open a photography business together. They bought a studio in Wellington.
At first, they didn't know how to run a photography studio. So, they kept the existing staff, who taught May how to use the camera and Mina how to print photos. The sisters quickly became well-known in Wellington. They were famous for their close-up portraits, using light from the side against a simple background. They worked with both sepia toning (a brownish tone) and bromide paper for their prints.
Becoming Famous Photographers in Australia
After only a few years, the sisters moved their business to Australia. They ran separate studios: May in Sydney (from 1910 to 1928) and Mina in Melbourne (from 1913 to 1918). May in Sydney focused on studio portraits. Mina in Melbourne specialized in photos for plays and interviews.
Even though they had separate studios, they often signed their work together. Their photographs were often published in popular magazines like Home and Triad. Both sisters used a very similar style. They used dramatic lighting to make the subject's face the main focus of the picture.
May's Studio in Sydney
In 1910, May went on a holiday to Australia. This trip led her to open a new studio in Sydney. One of May's famous photos from her time in Sydney was a portrait of the cartoonist Livingston Hopkins.
May also started writing articles for a magazine called Austral-Briton in 1916. In articles like "Photography for Women," she encouraged more women to become photographers. She also mostly hired women for her own business. The only man she hired was her husband, Henry Hammon Wilkes. He was a dentist whom she married on July 13, 1915. He stopped being a dentist to help May with her photography business.
May was a member of several important groups, including the Lyceum Club and the Professional Photographers' Association of Australia. Around 1928, May had to stop photography because she became ill. She then focused on painting landscapes. She passed away from cancer at her home in Pittwater on June 10, 1931. Her work was shown in a special exhibition at the Lyceum Club six months after she died.
Mina's Studio in Melbourne
In 1913, Mina joined May in Australia. She opened her studio in the Auditorium Building on Collins Street in downtown Melbourne. She became known for her theatrical photography, taking pictures of actors and plays. Mina also worked with a journalist. She would photograph people the journalist was interviewing. These photos were usually taken during the interview, which helped capture people's natural expressions.
Mina married William Alexander Tainsh on December 20, 1916. When their daughter was born in 1918, Mina decided to stop working as a professional photographer. Another photographer named Ruth Hollick took over her studio. Mina briefly returned to photography in 1927. The Shell company asked her to take a series of portraits. At that time, she was working from a darkroom at home and taking care of her family. After the Shell project, she decided not to restart her photography business.
Mina passed away in Croydon, Victoria on January 30, 1957.
Images for kids
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Sara Allgood
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