Burton Brothers
Burton Brothers (1866 - 1914) was one of New Zealand's most important nineteenth century photographic studios.
The firm was founded by Walter Burton in 1866 and originally called the Grand Photographic Saloon and Gallery. It was situated in Princes Street, Dunedin. The business proved so successful that Walter Burton had more work than he could handle so in 1868 he asked his brother Alfred Burton to emigrate and join him in the venture.
The firm became very successful providing not only a studio portraiture service for the settlers of the area but also providing images of New Zealand landscapes and scenes of ethnogragraphic interest including Maori portraiture. These images were in high demand by tourists and travellers to New Zealand and by other collectors around the world. Images were sold individually as prints and postcards and also as series in albums through agents and distributors.
Recognising that scenic photography was one of the mainstays of the business, in 1869 the Burton Brothers commissioned a photographic van to be built. It had a collapsible roof which could be lowered for travelling and ensured the heavy camera equipment and glass plate negatives could be safely carried on the rough roads and through river crossings. It functioned as a mobile darkroom and allowed the brothers to develop their photographs immediately after a shoot.
Despite their initial success, in 1877 Alfred and Walter's partnership came to an acrimonious end. Walter visited Europe to acquaint himself with new photographic developments while Alfred took over the firm, employing other talented photographers such as George Moodie and Thomas Muir.
When Alfred Burton retired in 1898, Thomas Muir and George Moodie continued to run the Burton Brothers firm. The popularity of postcards in the early 1900s ensured that the firm remained prosperous. The firm eventually closed in 1916.