The lucrative profession of photography in 19th century New Zealand

Alfred Burton's [1885 photo montage] The Maori at Home will always remain a remarkable and unique record. A few years earlier the journey would have been impossible or at least suicidal. A few years later the Maori had become sophisticated in front of the camera. This work deservedly gained him the Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society. And it undoubtedly brought the firm kudos that was reflected in all the branches of their photographic work. Burton Brothers became a national New Zealand concern and known widely abroad.

Just how much Alfred gained financially from these important additions to the catalogue of topographical and ethnographical photographs it is not possible to say, because no account books of the period have survived, and, as has been emphasised before, many photographers in Dunedin who specialised in portraiture during the formative years appear also to have done well.

The record of freeholders in New Zealand which was published in 1882 gives some idea of relative prosperity in the profession. Robert Clifford, apart from his dwelling in Fleet Street, had freehold property in Mornington, the North East Valley, and West Harbour, to a total value of £1,710; Frederick Henry Irwin, of the London Portrait Rooms, held freehold property to the value of £3,500; Alexander Peyman, no longer in partnership with Irwin and living in England, owned 1,273 acres at Wanganui valued at £12,730, and properties to the value of £7,870 in Oamaru and £2,500 in Dunedin, and Caroline Peyman at Wanganui had freehold property to the value of £1,737; William Meluish, living in England, had in 1882 freehold property in Dunedin to the value of £8,820, and Alfred Burton held freehold an acre and dwelling at Sunnyside, Roslyn valued at £780 and property in Dunedin giving a total of £1,180. These figures, at that date and viewed relatively, may not signify great wealth, but they do suggest that the top photographers were men of social standing and some substance.

- Hardwicke Knight, Burton Brothers: Photographers, Dunedin, 1980, p.34-5. 

Lambert Wickes' contribution to the cause of American independence

US naval officer Lambert Wickes took the war to England's back door in 1777:

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Reprisal left St Nazaire to cruise in the [English] Channel in January 1777 - a miserable time of year in those waters, and consequently an excellent time for raiding. Wickes quickly took five prizes (three brigs, a snow, and a ship), which for him made it "a tolerable successful cruise." The snow, Swallow, was a mail packet from Falmouth bound for Lisbon, and fought for an hour before striking her flag. Men on both sides were wounded, but none killed. In Reprisal, the first lieutenant's left arm was shot off above the elbow, "and the Lieut. of Marines had a musket ball lodged in his wrist." [...] Benedict Arnold may have found the marines to be "the refuse of every regiment"; to others, they were an essential adjunct to operations, and Wickes's crew included a detachment of two of their officers and thirty men.

After selling his prizes in France to pay his crew and maintain his ship, Wickes was joined in April by the Continental brig Lexington (a name that would grace many American warships) and the cutter Dolphin. (She, incidentally, was an English boat, secretly sold to the American service from her home port of Dover.). In May the three vessels set off to try their luck, standing out across the Channel for the Irish Sea. In essence such raiding was identical to privateering; the only difference was that it was done by naval ships under official orders. But to a young naval officer, that probably made it close to ideal. It was daring, exciting, novel, and, when successful, profitable too. Few captains would ask for more in wartime.

Before they left the Bay of Biscay, the squadron encountered a British ship of the line, too powerful for them to challenge. Escaping, they were blown west of Ireland by a gale and took no prizes until three weeks after leaving port. By then they were back in the north side of the Channel; and in a single week they captured eighteen vessels. Satisfied with that, they headed for base and again met a British ship. Reprisal had eighteen guns; her opponent had seventy-four. In the chase that followed, Wickes scattered his squadron, and to lighten Reprisal threw all her guns over, until finally, believing it would increase her flexibility and speed, he sawed through some of her beams. It was a common idea at the time; but it was probably that which brought about his death. Though he escaped from the British once more, he was never able to tell his adventures to his grandchildren. Returning home in September, Reprisal foundered in a gale and was lost with her captain.

Wickes had been a brave man, and his death was a blow to the Continental Navy. Had he lived, he might well have outshone his more celebrated colleague John Paul Jones; and of the two, it could well be argued that Wickes was the more courageous, for when he conducted his pioneering raids, he (unlike Jones) had no guaranteed safe port in France. Wickes paved the way for Jones.

Today Jones is far more widely remembered, and in the context of the U.S. Navy's whole history, that is right [...] But at the time, Wickes's contribution to the immediate cause of American independence was far greater. This is not simply because he captured more prizes; they paid for his voyage, but little more. Instead, the true value of his voyage lay in its political consequences [...]

By helping to heat up Anglo-French antagonism, simmering since France's defeat in the Seven Years' War, Wickes brought vital French support for America that much closer. This was exactly what the American commissioners in Paris wanted, and the French were indeed growing visibly keener. During the summer of 1777, in the French port of Brest, an American privateer (General Mifflin, flying the "Grand Union flag") was saluted with nine guns by Admiral du Chauffault - the traditional signal of the navy of one sovereign state to another.

- Stephen Howarth, To Shining Sea: A History of the United States Navy 1775-1991, London, 1991, p.30-31.

I'm driving a '48 Cadillac with Thunderbird wings

Thursday music corner: Born in Mississippi in 1928, Ellas Bates - later known by his stage name Bo Diddley - was adopted out by his teenaged mother to her cousin, who later adopted him as Ellas McDaniel. Upon the death of his adopted father when he was five, the family moved to Chicago where he became proficient on the violin, before later switching to guitar. After years of street performances he secured a regular slot at the 708 Club on Chicago's South Side, before recording what would become his first hit records in 1954-55. 

Bo Diddley released 27 studio albums between 1958 and 1996, and scored 10 US R&B chart top 40 hits between 1955 and 1966. Ride on Josephine appeared on his fifth studio album Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger, released in December 1960 on the Checker label. It has been covered by a range of artists including George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Sleepy LaBeef and Van Morrison.

Bo Diddley - Ride on Josephine (1960)

See also:

Music: Bo Diddley - Watusi Bounce (1960-61)

Music: Bo Diddley - Elephant Man (1970)

Music: Van Morrison - Ride on Josephine (2017)

Looking forward to the Film Festival

Apart from the usual release-day website snafus seemingly afflicting the NZ International Film Festival every year, there are still plenty of great films to look forward to in the 2026 Wellington festival. Here's what I'm looking forward to seeing, mainly in the wonderful Embassy Grand.

Father Mother Sister Brother (dir. Jim Jarmusch, USA, 2025, feat. Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett & Vicky Krieps)

Fjord (dir. Cristian Mungiu, Norway, 2026, feat. Renate Reinsve, Sebastian Stan)

Nuisance Bear (dir. Jack Weisman & Gabriela Osio Vanden, Canada, 2026)

No Good Men (dir. Shahrbanoo Sadat, Afghanistan, 2026, feat. Shahrbanoo Sadat, Anwar Hashimi)

Last Man Standing (dir. Gerd Pohlmann, NZ, 2026)

Rose (dir. Markus Schleinzer, Austria, 2026, feat. Sandra Hüller)

Dead Man's Wire (dir. Gus Van Sant, USA, 2025, feat. Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo, Myha'la)

Fatherland (dir. Pawel Pawlikowski, Germany, 2026, feat. Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler)

Whispers in the Woods (dir. Vincent Munier, France, 2025)

The Beloved (dir. Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Spain, 2026, feat. Javier Bardem, Victoria Luengo)

Nambassa Festival (dir. Philip Howe, NZ, 1979)

Every inch of you's a star, now a chauffeur drives your car

Thursday music corner: The Badloves were formed in Melbourne in 1990, originally as DC3 and then, a year later, under the name they're best know as. Influenced by American soul and R&B, the band were signed by Mushroom in 1992 after supporting Hall & Oates. The band released two albums: Get on Board in 1993, which reached number 5 in the Australian charts and was certified double platinum, and Holy Roadside in 1995, which reached number 14 and went gold. The Badloves released nine singles during their 1990s heyday, scoring two Australian top 40 hits: supporting Jimmy Barnes on a cover of The Band's The Weight, which reached number 6 in 1993, and Green Limousine, which reached number 35 in the same year.

The moody soul track I Remember was the second single released from The Badloves' debut album in 1993. Featuring impeccable harmonies, it improved only slightly on its predecessor Lost's number 51 singles chart placing, reaching number 48. It was surpassed by the Barnes single The Weight, which appeared alongside other collaborations with Joe Cocker, Tommy Emmanuel, Diesel, Deborah Conway and Archie Roach on Barnes' seventh album, Flesh & Wood (1993). 

The Badloves - I Remember (1993)

See also:

Music: Jimmy Barnes & the Badloves - The Weight (The Band cover, 1993)

Music: Jimmy Barnes - Flame Trees (Cold Chisel cover, 1993)

Music: The Badloves - Green Limousine (1993)

We bluff our souls on canteen patios

Thursday music corner: Beck Hansen, better known as Beck, is a Los Angeles-born musician known for his eclectic and experimental recordings since his single Loser became a hit in 1993. He has released 15 studio albums from Golden Feelings in 1993 to Hyperspace in 2019, and from 2002 to 2017 all six of his album releases reached the US top 10. His most successful single Loser reached number 10 in the US charts, and he has scored eight UK top 40 charting singles.

Deadweight was a non-album single released in 1997 on the soundtrack to the Danny Boyle-directed and Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz-starring black comedy, A Life Less Ordinary. The song was recorded with the Dust Brothers, and the video for the single was directed by Michel Gondry. Deadweight reached number 23 in the UK singles chart, and number 18 in Iceland. 

Beck - Deadweight (1997)

See also:

Music: Beck - The New Pollution (1997)

Music: Beck - Girl (2005)

Music: Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck - Heaven Can Wait (2009)