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Burton Brothers (fl. 1868-1898) (photographers)

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: fl. 1868 - 1898

Biography

Alfred Henry Burton was born in England in 1834. In circa 1868 he joined his brother Walter Burton in Dunedin, New Zealand, where Walter had established a photographic business (Turner 1996, p.282). Walter advertised as being 'of the firm of John Burton and Sons, of Leicester, Birmingham, Derby, Nottingham, and Burton-upon-Trent, England, Artist and Photographer' in Mackay's Almanac for 1867 (Knight 1971, p.46). Trading under the name 'Burton Brothers', Alfred and Walter remained in business together until 1876, when their partnership was dissolved (Turner 1996, p.282). Initially the company seems to have been primarily involved in selling fancy goods, engraving and hiring out masonic regalia. They later became successful publishers of photographic views, employing photographers to take topographical views and photographs of special events and expeditions (Knight 1971, p.47). Walter died in 1880. However, Alfred continued to trade under the name 'Burton Bros' until 1898, apparently appointing Thomas M.B. Muir to take over the portrait work ( Knight 1971, p.51). In 1898 Alfred sold his remaining interests to Muir and Moodie. Alfred was most famous for his trip up the Wanganui River in April and May 1885. His photographs from this trip form one of the most important records of Maori life. He spent his last years teaching elocution at Knox College. Alfred died in 1914 (Turner 1996, p.282; Knight 1971, pp.46-52).

Publications:

Burton Brothers (1884), 'The Camera in the Coral Islands'.

Burton Brothers (1884), 'New Zealand through the Camera'.

Burton Brothers (1886), 'The Maori at home: a catalogue of a series of photographs illustrative of the scenery and of native life in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand', Dunedin: Burton Bros.

Burton Brothers (1889), 'Wintering on Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri'.

Sources:

Turner, Jane ed. (1996), 'The dictionary of art'. Volume 5. New York: Grove.

Knight, Hardwicke (1971), 'Photography in New Zealand. A social and technical history'. Dunedin: John McIndoe.

Found in 101 Collections and/or Records:

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 Item

Akaroa, 1885

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089C/55
Scope and Contents

195 x 140 mm. A view looking down on the settlement which lies around French Bay, surrounded by hills. The town is situated on Bank’s Peninsula, southeast of Christchurch. Known for a short time as Port Louis-Philippe, Akaroa was bought from the Maoris as a French settlement in 1838, but this lasted only until 1846 when the second Commissaire du Roi left the island and there ceased to be any formal connection with the French Government.

Dates: 1885
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Akaroa Harbour, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/44
Scope and Contents

176 x 148 mm. A view looking down from the hills on to the harbour which is situated on the Banks Peninsula south of Christchurch and Lytellton Harbour.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Albert Park, Auckland, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/3
Scope and Contents

195 x 147 mm. A view looking across an ornamental pool and fountain towards City buildings in the background. Albert Park, formerly part of the Albert Barracks, is on the side of the hill that overlooks Queen Street and fills the curve formed by Bowen Street and Coburg Street.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

American Gatling gun, Point Mulinu’u, 1899

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y309C/66
Scope and Contents

195 x 145 mm. A view showing a row of armed American sailors standing behind a Gatling gun team at Mulinu’u Point.

Dates: 1899
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Apia. The spot where Freemen fell late war, 1899

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y309C/62
Scope and Contents

200 x 124 mm. A view looking over a copra plantation, with a cross marked on the print in the middle of a clearing. Angel Hope Freeman was a senior Lieutenant on HMS ‘Tauranga’, which arrived in Samoa on the 24th March 1899. Freeman’s grave can be seen clearly in Y309C/53. Copyright registered 21 Aug. 1899.

Dates: 1899
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Araro Creek-Thames, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/24
Scope and Contents

145 x 183 mm. A view of the path beside the creek which leads to a small footbridge amongst the thick woodland.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from Mt Eden, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/5
Scope and Contents

184 x 144 mm. A view looking down from Mt Eden on to the city, with the harbour in the distance. All detail of the city has been lost through fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from Mt Eden, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/6
Scope and Contents

200 x 150 mm. A view looking down from a different part of Mt Eden on to the city and harbour, with most of the detail lost through fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from Mt Eden, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/7
Scope and Contents

199 x 148 mm. A view looking down on the suburbs of Auckland, with well–spaced houses, gardens and fields. The harbour can be seen in the distance.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from Mt Eden, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/8
Scope and Contents

206 x 143 mm. A view looking down on the suburbs of Auckland similar to the previous plate, with the harbour visible in the distance.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from Mt Eden, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/9
Scope and Contents

199 x 149 mm. A view looking down on scattered houses, gardens and fields on the outskirts of Auckland. In this plate the town is giving way to country scenery.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from North, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/4
Scope and Contents

195 x 147 mm. A view taken from hilly ground looking across the harbour towards the city. All detail of the city has been lost through fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from North Shore, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/10
Scope and Contents

202 x 146 mm. A view from the beach on the North Shore looking across Northcote Harbour towards the city. No details of the city are visible through a combination of distance and fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from North Shore, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/11
Scope and Contents

196 x 148 mm. A view from a hillside on the North Shore, looking over the small settlement there and across Northcote Harbour towards the city. No details of the city are visible through fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from North Shore, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/12
Scope and Contents

204 x 143 mm. A view from Devonport, at the southern end of the North Shore, looking over houses and gardens towards Northcote Harbour and the city. No details of the city are visible due to fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from North Shore, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/13
Scope and Contents

185 x 147 mm. A view looking out across Northcote Harbour towards the city, no details of which are visible due to fading.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Auckland from the wharf, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/2
Scope and Contents

146 x 199 mm. A view looking past the prow of a sailing ship towards the shores of Auckland Harbour. Details on the shoreline are considerably faded, but the church on the skyline is probably St Paul’s.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Bay of Islands, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/37
Scope and Contents

205 x 142 mm. A view from the shore looking out towards the Bay, with islands dimly visible in the distance. The Bay of Islands is a ‘drowned river’ system containing about 150 small islands which lies on the east coast of North Auckland between Whangerei and Whangaroa. The first European to visit it was Captain Cook in 1769, and in the nineteenth century it became a watering place for whalers.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Bay of Islands, 1888 - 1889

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y308A/127
Scope and Contents

197 x 143 mm. A view from the cliffs above a beach, looking out into the bay which is dotted with islands, towards mountains in the distance. The Bay of Islands is a drowned river system containing about 150 islands which lies on the east coast of North Auckland between Whangerei and Whangaroa. The first European to visit it was Captain Cook in 1769, and in the nineteenth century it became a watering place for whalers.

Dates: 1888 - 1889
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Bowen Fall, (540 ft) Milford Sound, 1885

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089C/42
Scope and Contents

139 x 193 mm. A view from the bottom of the falls looking up the cliff face, with a man standing at the side of the falls.

Dates: 1885
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Caswell Sound [67 miles from Doubtful Inlet on Smith Sound], 1885

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089C/36
Scope and Contents

194 x 137 mm. A view looking along a river, with two men beside the water, heavy woods on either bank and mountains in the distance.

Dates: 1885
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Ceremony, Apia, 1899

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y309C/76
Scope and Contents

201 x 146 mm. A view showing a circle of dancing Samoans with European spectators in the background. This page of the album also contains two paper clippings concerning German reactions to the Anglo-American action in Samoa, and demanding compensation for the bombardment of Apia.

Dates: 1899
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Christchurch, 1885

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089C/14
Scope and Contents

191 x 140 mm. a view looking down on a street in an uncrowded residential area of Christchurch. Exact location unidentified.

Dates: 1885
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Christchurch, 1880

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3089E/47
Scope and Contents

198 x 148 mm. A view from above looking out over the spaciously laid out town with wide roads and houses separated by trees.

Dates: 1880
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
 Item

Copra making, Samoa, 1899

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y309C/54
Scope and Contents

195 x 139 mm. A view showing three Samoans removing the kernels from a large pile of coconuts.

Dates: 1899
Conditions Governing Access: From the Fonds: Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).
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Oceania (continent) 100
New Zealand (nation) 82
Auckland (inhabited place) 12
Samoa (nation) 10
Tonga (nation) 6