Burton Brothers Photographers by Hardwicke Knight. First Edition.

Burton Brothers, Photographers by Hardwicke Knight.

Publisher: John McIndoe, Dunedin, 1980, First Edition. VERY SCARCE.

Photos throughout the text, and 65 page section of black and white plates.

This hardback book is in excellent condition with no inscriptions, minor marks. The jacket has some minor edgewear, chipping & shelfwear.

Alfred Burton is considered one of New Zealand's most important nineteenth century photographers. In particular he is remembered for his series of photographs of Maori in the Whanganui and King Country regions. In 1866 Walter Burton immigrated to Dunedin where he set up a successful photographic studio. But photography in the 1860s was a time-consuming process and there was more work than he could cope with, therefore, in 1868, he persuaded his older brother, Alfred, to join him, and the brothers became partners in the Grand Photographic Saloon and Gallery in Princes Street, Dunedin. While Walter concentrated on portraits, Alfred travelled extensively, making frequent trips to Fiordland, the Southern Lakes and South Westland. His Views of Fiordland helped to convince authorities to have the area set aside as a national park. However, scenic photography in the 1860s had its problems. The roads were poor, and travelling on horseback made crossing rivers hazardous, and risked damaging the heavy photographic equipment. In 1869 the Burton Brothers commissioned a photographic van to be built. It had a collapsible roof which could be lowered for travelling. It functioned as mobile darkroom which meant that the brothers did not have to waste time pitching a dark tent to develop their photographs. In 1873 the Burton Brothers produced their first panoramas of Dunedin. One of the most spectacular of these was taken from Bedford House, boarding house on top of Bell Hill. The high viewpoint produced an effect similar to an aerial photograph.