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Caire, Nicholas John, 1837 -1918 (photographer)

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1837 - 1918

Biography

Nicholas John Caire was born in Guernsey on February 28th 1837. His family, who were of Scottish descent, emigrated to Adelaide circa 1858. Caire pursued his interest as a photographer while working as a hairdresser (Turner 1996, p.392). He studied photography under Townsend Duryea and became a travelling photographer. Caire made a photographic tour of Gippsland in 1865 (Cato 1955, p.76-79). In 1865-68 he had a studio at 97 Hindley Street, Adelaide. In 1870 he married Louisa Master and moved his business to Scandinavian Crescent, Talbot, Victoria (Pike 1969, p.328; Davies and Stanbury 1985, p.140). From 1872-75 he was based at View Place, Sandhurst (now Bendigo), Victoria. In 1876 Caire purchased the Melbourne studio of Thomas F. Chuck. In 1880 he was active at 11 Royal Arcade, Bourke Street, Melbourne (Davies and Stanbury 1985, p.140). In the same year he was one of three official photographers to the Melbourne International Exhibition and he was later made photographer by special appointment to the government of Victoria (Turner 1996, p. 393). In 1885 Caire moved to 2 Darling Street, South Yarra. He occupied various studios in South Yarra until circa 1900 (Davies and Stanbury 1985, p.140). In 1888 he made a photographic expedition to Mt. Buffalo, organised by the Alpine Society (Turner 1996, p.392). Caire died in Armadale, Victoria on February 13th 1918 (Pike 1969, p.328-9).

Likenesses: See between p.176 and p.177 of Cato's 'The story of the camera...' (1955).

Publications:

Caire, Nicholas John (1875), 'Views of Bendigo'.

Caire, Nicholas John (c. 1877), 'Views of Victoria'.

Caire, Nicholas John (1877-79), 'Views of Victoria', General series.

Caire, Nicholas John (c. 1877), 'Views of Sydney Harbour and New South Wales'.

Caire, Nicholas John (c. 1883), 'Victorian scenery'.

Caire, Nicholas John (c. 1885), 'Buildings of Melbourne'.

Caire, Nicholas John (c. 1886), 'Gippsland scenery'.

Caire, Nicholas John (c.1888-1890), 'Gembrook scenery'.

Caire, Nicholas John (c. 1888), 'Victorian Alpine scenery'.

Sources:

Cato, Jack (1955), 'The story of the camera in Australia'. Melbourne: Institute of Australian Photographers.

Davies, Alan and Stanbury, Peter (1985), 'The mechanical eye in Australia: photography 1841-1900'. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Pike, Douglas ed. (1969), 'Australian dictionary of biography'. Volume 3: 1851-1890 A-C. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

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

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

 Item

A Prospector’s Hut, Gippland [sic], 1886

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y308A/78
Scope and Contents

209 x 160 mm. Another good view of outback life, showing a bearded prospector sitting outside his rough wooden cabin, with a cat on his lap. The photographer has been careful to include as many characteristic tools and implements as possible in the picture, including axes, spades, saws and gold pans. Photograph by Nicholas Caire, c1886, No 2 in the series ‘Gippsland Scenery’.

Dates: 1886
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

Hunting Camp River Murray, 1888 - 1889

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y308A/89
Scope and Contents

200 x 149 mm. A photograph showing a group of Aboriginal Australians (in European dress) with two hunting dogs, holding spears and standing in front of wooden cabins, with the river in the background.

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

Quartz Gold Stamps-Ballarat, 1888 - 1889

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y308A/74
Scope and Contents

188 x 144 mm. A view of the quartz crushing machines, with the watersluices in the foreground which separate the crushed rock from the gold. The photograph is in fact taken in Bendigo by N.J. Caire and also occurs in Y3087/C5.

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

Sandhurst and Bendigo, 1875

 Item
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y308A/76
Scope and Contents

200 x 145 mm. A more exact title for this print, which is by N.J. Claire, is ‘Bendigo Flat as seen from Wattle Hill’ and was taken around 1875. See Y3087C/34 for a note on the picture and another print of the same photograph.

Dates: 1875
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).
 Fonds

Victorian scenery

 Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3087L
Scope and Contents

Album of albumen prints, each photograph is mounted on a card with letterpress description on the back, headed 'Views of Victoria (general series)', though the front cover of the album is lettered 'Victorian scenery.' The state Library of Victoria contains a copy of 'Views of Victoria 1877-1879', which contains 60 photographs. This RCS collection, though numbered up to 37, has five gaps (15, 16, 19, 27, 34).

Dates: 1877 - 1879
Conditions Governing Access: 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).
 Fonds

Views of Bendigo

 Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3087C
Scope and Contents A commercially produced portfolio containing fifty-two mounted prints measuring approximately 180 x 125 mm., showing views in and around Bendigo and giving a detailed photographic coverage of the city and its suburbs. Each print is pasted to an elaborately printed mount with a decorative border, 'Views of Bendigo' and the print number at the top, and a title and explanatory key beneath the picture. Beneath each plate is also printed 'N.U. Claire Photo. Sandhurst' and 'Welch.Typo.' Some...
Dates: 1875
Conditions Governing Access: 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).

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 4
Collection 2
 
Subject
Australia (nation) 5
Oceania (continent) 5
Victoria (state) 5
Bendigo (inhabited place) 3