Tauranga Photographers: Maurice Anthony Murphy

View from Hopukiore (Mt Drury), Tauranga, c. 1930s-1940s
Postcard format photograph by M.A. Murphy
Collection of Justine Neal

This unusual postcard view of residential Mount Maunganui, viewed from the summit of Hopukiore (Mount Drury) looking in a south-easterly direction, was taken by Maurice Anthony Murphy of The Strand, Tauranga, probably in the 1930s or 1940s. But who was M.A. Murphy? A quick search of PapersPast and Ancestry.com suggests that he emigrated aged 27 with his wife and two year-old daughter from England in 1923, giving his occupation as an outfitter. Initially he worked as a salesman in Gisborne and Auckland, before moving to Tauranga in 1931. His occupation in the electoral roll for 1935 is shown as “manager”, but by 1938 he had become a shopkeeper, and he remained in that occupation until his retirement between 1960 and 1963.

Reverse of postcard by M.A. Murphy of Tauranga
Collection of Justine Neal

He quickly involved himself in the business and social communities of the town, was a keen rower and office holder in the Rowing Club, was elected a member of the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce in March 1934, president of the Tauranga Hockey Association (April 1935), a member of the Bay of Plenty Jockey Club (February 1936) and president of the Umpires’ Association. His wife Winifred loaned crockery for use at the Plunket Society’s Christmas Party, and appears to have been involved with the W.C.T.U. Their daughter Heather, then in Standard VI, attended the Tauranga High School ball in August 1932 dressed as a pierrot.

The reference number “101” on the front of the postcard suggests that it may have been one of a series, perhaps even of at least 101 views, but if so where are the others? What was the nature of the shop which had on the Strand, and did he sell the postcards there? The use of a stamp for his name suggests that it was a sideline, or that he wasn’t in the postcard business for long enough to have specially printed cardstock made.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who can shed further light on Mr Murphy and his photographic venture, or if you have postcards published by him, please get in touch at gluepot@gmail.com. Thank you to Justine Neal for the opportunity to share these images.

Seaward’s Hand-coloured Postcards of Mt Maunganui

Coastal Scene, Mount Maunganui, N.Z., c. 1950s-early 1960s
Hand-coloured postcard published by N.S. Seaward, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Image courtesy of Fiona Kean, private collection

Hand-coloured postcards of New Zealand scenic views had been around since the early 1900s, but were overwhelmed by inexpensive collotype-printed cards imported from Bavaria and Saxony. When the supply from Germany dried up on the outbreak of the Great War, hand-coloured real photo postcards were produced in numbers once more, and remained popular for some years after the war had ended.

Ocean Beach, Mount Maunganui, N.Z., c. 1950s-early 1960s
Hand-coloured postcard published by N.S. Seaward, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Image courtesy of Fiona Kean, private collection

After the Second World War, during which there had been a dearth of postcards available for purchase, the National Publicity Studios became the most significant contributor to the market. Along with the increased demand for postcards, there was a resurgence in the popularity of hand-coloured images. It did not take long for other photographers and publishers to join the fray.

Mount Maunganui, N.Z., c. 1950s-early 1960s
Hand-coloured postcard published by N.S. Seaward, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Image courtesy of Fiona Kean, private collection

One of these was Neville Stephen Seaward, whose postcards published from his home base in Broad Bay, Dunedin feature widely in institutional and private collections around the country, and presumably overseas. Seaward was born in Christchurch in 1913, and started photographing scenery with his first camera aged seventeen.

Coastal Scene, Mount Maunganui, N.Z., c. 1950s-early 1960s
Hand-coloured postcard published by N.S. Seaward, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Image courtesy of Fiona Kean, private collection

He married in 1948, moved to Dunedin with his wife Gwen, and three years later they started up a business from their home, printing, publishing and selling postcards of photographic views that he had accumulated.

Coastal Scene, Mount Maunganui, N.Z., c. 1950s-early 1960s
Hand-coloured postcard published by N.S. Seaward, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Image courtesy of Fiona Kean, private collection

At an early stage Neville started making annual trips to Rotorua and elsewhere on the North Island to increase the portfolio of views which were soon in great demand. All of the postcards were printed in black-and-white from their home, and a proportion were hand-coloured with simple watercolour washes. Unfortunately serial numbers were not printed on any of the cards, so there is currently no assessment of the numbers of individual views produced country-wide. 

Mount Maunganui, N.Z., c. 1950s-early 1960s
Hand-coloured postcard published by N.S. Seaward, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Library’s Pae Korokī, Ref. 99-027

From 1951 onwards he also published several guide books of tourist destinations, illustrated with his own photographs. Colour slide views (probably Kodachrome) were added to the repertoire in 1954, sold loose in the same manner as the postcards, and the business continued to thrive into the 1960s. By the end of that decade, though, production appears to have ceased, probably as a result of increased competition from full colour postcards printed in South-east Asia. After he ceased photography, all of Seaward’s photographic negatives were destroyed.

References

Skinner, Damian (2001) Unpublished notes from interview with Neville Seaward, Modernism Oral History Project, [relates to 3 tapes of oral history interviews at Te Papa Tongarewa, Refs, CA000633/001/0020, 0021, 0022)

Main, William & Jackson, Alan (2005) Wish You Were Here: The Story of New Zealand Postcards, New Zealand Postcard Society Inc., Nelson

Main, William (2007) Send Me a Postcard: New Zealand Postcards and the Stories They Tell, Craig Potton Publishing, Nelson