Natal Photographers continued: Burgess, Brock and Bowman

Brock's advert in Natal Almanac 1876; the ad tells us he was still
producing cartes-de-visite which could be hand-coloured and even made to 'Life Size'.

William Henry Burgess (mentioned in Russell's History) was one of the earliest photographers in Natal. The Burgess family came to Natal on the ship Rydal in 1856. By 1857 he was taking 'photographic likenesses' by the collodian, or wet-plate, process. His studio was at West Street, Durban.

Burgess, in line with other photographers at that date, had another string to his bow. He was a dispensing chemist. He was also a lay preacher and in 1858 moved to Verulam, Natal, where a number of Wesleyan immigrants had settled. He went to the diamond fields in 1871, returning to Natal in the late 1870s and practising as a chemist at Richmond. He left Natal again in the 1880s, dying in the eastern Transvaal in 1886.

Precisely because he was such an early Natal photographer, there is no advertisement in the Natal Almanac which began to be published later than the year Burgess left for Verulam (1858), though further research may reveal other sources and tell us more about this interesting colonist.

James Saumarez Brock was almost contemporaneous with Burgess, as Brock was in Durban from 1859. In 1862 he took over J N Wheeler's studio in Pietermaritzburg and here he was in partnership with William Bowman, 1863 - 1864. The partnership was dissolved in 1864.  In the late 1860s to early 1870s, Brock lived in the Byrne valley taking individual portraits, family groups and views. Things weren't going too well and Brock entered insolvency proceedings in 1865 - 1867. Emerging from this unfortunate phase, he advertised a Photographic Studio at 24 Longmarket Street, Pietermaritzburg next to the Crown Hotel. Brock took over Bowman's studio at 10 Longmarket Street in 1872 and by 1875 Brock was at 24 Loop Street, Pietermaritzburg.

William Bowman continued his studio, without Brock, as the Natal Photographic Company at 23 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg and Smith Street, Durban from 1865. He was advertising his New Cerrotype Process from 1866 - 1872 and was living at 8 Berg Street, Pietermaritzburg.




Whether the New Cerrotype Process was correctly named in this advert for Bowman and Co is uncertain. It may be an error for Ferrotype, more popularly called a Tintype, in which the plate was a sheet of metal. These were favoured by travelling photographers e.g. at the diamond diggings.

Souvenir Saturday: E Larsen, photographer, and family

Here we have a photograph of a photographer.
Emil and Gusta Larsen with daughter Dora (b 1897 d 1926). 

Gusta was the daughter of Thomas and Ane Dahle of Lot 30, Marburg.

Photographed around the turn of the century. Cabinet print.

Emil Larsen and his twin brother Sigvart were both photographers in the Dundee, Vryheid, Volksrust triangle. In October 1900 the Larsen home was occupied by the British, who destroyed all the family's photographic plates. Regarded as 'undesirables', the family were given one hour's notice to leave with a British convoy. Mrs Larsen, a British subject who had recently lost a child, was 6 months pregnant and Mr Larsen, a Norwegian and a non-combatant, had four brothers serving with the Royal Durban Light Infantry (RDLI).

See more at www.icon.co.za/~salbu/BoerWarLarsen.html

Emil Larsen initially operated a studio in Greyville, Durban. By the turn of the century he and his brother Sigvart were working together as Larsen Bros at 410 West Street, Durban - the studio mentioned on the above photo mount. Emil crops up in 1904 at a studio in Winder Street, Durban; after that, entries for him in the Natal Almanac cease.

Natal Almanac entries re Larsen photographers, Durban.

1894  Natal Almanac Larsen ‘F’, photographer, Greyville [probably an error for ‘E’]

1896 -1897 Natal Almanac same entry as above ‘Larsen, F’

1898 Natal Almanac – first mention of Larsen, E, photographer, Greyville’ [the Almanac corrected their error in this edition]

1899   Natal Almanac Larsen, E   Greyville  

1900 Natal Almanac – first entry for Larsen Bros 410 West St.

Acknowledgements:

David Larsen

Souvenir Saturday: colonial Natal - a snapshot in time

Natal Colonial group early 1900s: a relaxed all-male occasion (a stag party?); attendants include two Africans and one Indian wearing a turban. There are several different kinds of hat in evidence among the group,  Some trouser turn-ups indicate date after 1902 when this fashion feature became trendy. Facial hair is 'in'. The wicker chairs are of an easily-recognisable design much seen gracing Natal verandahs. Photographer unknown.

Souvenir Saturday: Hojem, Oftebro, Larsen in Natal

The twins are Johan Christian and Thora Katrine Hojem, b 28 July 1894, children of Gustav and Berte Marie (nee Oftebro) Hojem. Berte Marie and Gustav were married at Eshowe Mission Church, 9 April 1891, by Ommund C Oftebro, Berte Marie’s now-famous missionary uncle. Witnesses were O S Norgaard and Olaus H Skerve, the latter one of the original Marburg settlers (he married Gustav Hojem’s sister, Ragna).

The photographer was Emil Larsen, whose studio was then at 410 West Street, Durban. Judging by the age of the twins the picture was probably taken early in 1895.

Photo and information courtesy of Warwick Hojem.

For further details on LARSEN and descendants see
http://salbu.co.za/debora/LarList.html

Costume in Natal: 1870s

By the 1870s, photographers favoured padded chairs for their subjects to lean on, and a three-quarter view of the figure. This is a typical example.

The lady's hair, plainly centre-parted in front, is piled up on the top of her head in a thick plait, presumably - though not necessarily - her own. As the decade advanced, hairstyles became far more elaborate, especially at the back, waves, ringlets and curls being encouraged by overnight plaiting or by curl papers and curling tongs.

The emphasis of the skirt was all at the back, too, becoming larger and fuller as the bustle developed and the front and sides taking on a smoother appearance. Tapes fixed to the side-seams of the skirt were tied round the back underneath the projecting bustle.

The bodice for day wear was high-necked, with fussy trimming at neck and wrist.

In South Africa the change to the bustle took longer than it did in Europe: there was still a slight time lag in fashion though by the 1890s, with improved communications, this gradually became less noticeable.

Costume and Photographers in Natal: Watson Robertson

Because men’s costume, i.e. the basic suit, changed very little from about the 1890s to the 1920s, it is sometimes difficult to use this aspect when dating a photograph, especially in a head-and-shoulders ‘window’ view. The dapper young man in this portrait taken circa 1910-12 wears a stiff, fairly high-collared shirt, not turned down at the corners, his tie is soft and loosely knotted. Button-holes (the flowers on his lapel) were popular for special occasions; perhaps this is an engagement photograph. Unfortunately, we can’t see his trousers which by this date probably had turnups (trendy from 1902), and would have been worn slightly shorter than previously and with a knife-edge crease. His hair is fashionably short with a side-parting, and his moustache well-trimmed.

The photographer, William Watson Robertson, operated a studio in Chapel Street, Pietermaritzburg, from about 1898; his success may have been due to his marketing strategies. That he wished his studio to be regarded as an establishment with class is evidenced by a coat-of-arms imprinted on the card mount, announcing that he is photographer ‘By appointment to H.E. (His Excellency) the Governor of Natal’. According to his advertisement in the Natal Almanac of 1908  he is ‘the leading photographer in Natal’.

The Watson Robertson studio continued to run until the 1930s, under a new proprietor, Walter Linley.

Natal Photographers: T Dickinson

Maud Alice Swires, Pietermaritzburg, 1909

In her crisp white day dress, with fashionable tucked detail on her high-necked tunic-style bodice, this colonial lady epitomizes the end of the first decade of the 20^th c. Her hair has been encouraged into a loose, curly style, the bouffant shape probably owing something to coir pads worn under her own hair. The waist of the dress is placed slightly above the normal waistline, and accentuated by a fabric belt. Her sleeves end in a point over her wrist with a hint of feminine frill. All signs of the bustle have disappeared and her skirt is long and tubular, widening at the hem.  

The brooch at her throat spells out her name, Maud. This photograph was probably taken shortly before her marriage in 1909. The photographer’s name is stamped on the reverse of the enlarged print: T. Dickinson (sometimes spelled Dickenson), who owned the Imperial Studio in Pietermaritzburg ca 1900-1910. By the date this photo was taken he was located at 128 Chapel Street, Pietermaritzburg.

Photographers in Natal: James Lloyd

Photography was in its infancy in Natal during the 1850s and remained an experimental art for some years. Outdoor photographs were a late development and it is the carte de visite showing the subject posed in the photographer’s studio, which most family historians will find among their collections of memorabilia.

The corners of the cartes can give an immediate indication of date: square corners were typical of the 1860s and early 1870s, but from about 1875 rounded corners were in vogue.  So when taking a digital copy of a carte de visite it’s advisable not to crop off those vital corners.

The striking couple featured below were photographed ca 1880 by James Lloyd, who describes himself as ‘Artist’. One of Durban’s earliest photographers, Lloyd’s studio was in operation in Durban in 1860 and after a brief hiatus continued working from the beginning of the 1870s. In 1896, and up to at least 1910, he was listed in the Natal Almanac at 425 Smith Street, Durban. He is perhaps best-remembered for his photographs taken during the Anglo-Zulu War, 1879.

The costume details all point to the early 1880s:  the gentleman’s jacket has a high opening with minimal lapels. Virtually nothing of his shirt can be seen other than the collar and plainly-knotted tie; no shirt-cuffs show at the end of the jacket sleeves. The lower buttons of the jacket are left unbuttoned and the edges are cut and rounded to curve away at the sides, revealing a hint of matching waistcoast with the ubiquitous watch chain. It’s difficult to tell if he has a side-parting but his hair is cut fairly short at the back, a trend which developed by the end of the 1870s and would continue for many decades; he wears side-whiskers and a neat moustache.

The three-quarter length portrait, a trend at that time, prevents us seeing the lower half of this couple’s costume.  The lady’s hair is centre-parted and smooth, worn in a plait coiled at the nape of her neck.  She is demurely dressed in what may be a cuirass bodice with a high neckline, neat tucked detail and straight, fairly tight sleeves, decorated cuffs at the wrist. With her touches of lace and simple jewellery pieces, while perhaps not aiming at the height of fashion, she conveys a pleasing, calm, ladylike aura.

Lloyd's West End Studio advertisement from the Natal Almanac 1876.
'Ross Type Miniatures' refers to the attempt by photographers to reproduce miniature
portraits in the style of Queen Victoria's miniaturist painter, Sir William Ross. Few could afford
the services of Ross himself, so photographers were quick to supply the need to a greater public.

More on Natal Photographer W L Caney

Carte de visite  by William Laws Caney during his Durban studio phase; taken
mid-1880s.  It's an appealing informal portrait: the little boy in everyday clothes rather than Sunday best
and appropriately barefoot among the photographers' farm props (including animal skin).
But the crochet collar and intricate quasi-military design of the jacket-front show the quality of the garments. The child's hair has been left in natural curls and waves.

Reverse of the above carte de visite showing photographer's trade-plate,
offering any portraits enlarged to life-size and in oil or water colors [sic]
to order.

For more on Caney family history see www.brown.ch  'Family Forest' section: go to Caney on surnames list.

Footnote: William Laws Caney married Sarah Grogan: one of their children was William Grogan Caney b 1878 who studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and later became well-known in Durban musical circles.