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| Class photograph, Tauranga School, c. 1890-1892 Carte de visite photograph by F.E. Stewart of Stewart Bros., Tauranga Collection of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 04-502 |
In late June 1890 a Mr F.E. Stewart “of the firm of Messrs Stewart Bros., photographers, Thames” arrived in Tauranga on a visit[1] and, after negotiations with resident photographer and chemist Charles Spencer, made an arrangement to “take over Mr Spencer’s photographic business here for a few weeks.”[2] It is unclear why Spencer, who had been very active in the district photographically over the previous decade,[3] seems to have lost interest in the studio aspect of his business in the 1890s, but he had his fingers in many pies, and in 1893 moved with his family to Auckland.[4]
Stewart quickly showed his willingness to take up where Spencer had left off, announcing:
“First-class work at reasonable prices. Enamelling a specialty, also children’s portraits. Views of residences, etc., taken.”
Enamelling referred to the glossy finish that he was able to produce on his card-mounted portraits, while reference to children mostly signified to his customers that he was both equipped with the latest in fast lenses and shutters, and adept in pacifying notoriously fidgety or excitable children. The statement that “views of residences, etc.” would be taken indicates that in addition to welcoming customers to Spencer’s studio premises conveniently situated on the Strand, he was happy to carry out what was commonly referred to as outdoors work.
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| Class photograph, Tauranga School, c. 1890-1892 Carte de visite photograph by F.E. Stewart of Stewart Bros., Tauranga Collection of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 04-327 |
Two fine class photos taken at the Tauranga School in 1890 or 1891, then situated on the corner of Harington Street and Cameron Road,[5] have survived in the library’s collection, now displayed on Pae Korokī. They demonstrate Stewart’s skill at capturing the detail in the faces of a large group of students using the diminutive carte de visite format.
But who was “F.E.”? Since he was only ever referred to by his initials in the local press during his brief stay here, he’s not been particularly easy to track down, and it didn’t help that he proved to be unrelated to any of several other Stewart families then living in the coastal Bay of Plenty.
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| Young woman, tentatively identified as Marion Sophia Gilman (née Ferguson), c. 1890-1891 Carte de visite portrait, photographed by F.E. Stewart of Stewart Bros., Tauranga Collection of The Elms Foundation |
Francis Edward Stewart was born in 1865 at Chiselhurst, Kent (England) to carpenter Edwin Stewart and his wife Ellen. The family, including an older brother Herbert Samuel, arrived in New Zealand in January 1875 as assisted immigrants,[6] settling in Hamilton by 1877.[7] By early 1888 they were living in Cambridge, and older brother Herbert, working as a photographer, produced photographic views that were compared favourably with those from “the Auckland fraternity”.[8] By April 1890, probably after encountering stiff competition from well-established Cambridge photographers,[9] both Herbert and his younger brother Francis had moved to Thames, presumably sensing a growing demand there, and opening a studio in Queen Street.[10]The appearance of Francis in Tauranga only two months later suggests that clients in Thames were not as plentiful as expected.
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| The Tauranga Brass Band (including F. Stewart, front row, 4th from left),
c. mid-1891 Attributed to F.E. Stewart of Stewart Bros., later reprinted on card mount with incorrect date Collection of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 01-592 |
Francis, or Frank as he was occasionally known, quickly made friends in the Tauranga community, where his musical skills were an important social asset. He joined a small local orchestra as a cornet player[11] and, with George Arnold Ward, subsequently played a role in the resurrection of the Tauranga Brass Band,[12] which made its first public appearance in March 1891.[13] He was engaged to take photographs of “the Mercury Bay and Tauranga Football teams and the Brass Band [above] … the Fife and Drum Band [below] … [and] the Fire Brigade in full uniform” at the Domain in mid-1891.[14]
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| The Tauranga Drum & Fife Band, c. mid-1891 F.E. Stewart of Stewart Bros., Thames and Tauranga Collection of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. 12-015 |
By early September, however, Stewart had decided to move on, and was given a rousing farewell by Ward and his other band mates.[15] Subsequent sightings of him in Waipawa (November 1891)[16] and Dannevirke (February 1892)[17] suggest that he was touring the central North Island. In the mid- to late 1890s Francis Stewart seems to have rather disappeared from view, although his brother Herbert did open a hairdressing saloon in Rotorua in 1895, simultaneously announcing that he hoped to open a photographic studio in due course.[18] In December 1895 there was a report of a “Mr Stewart, photographer” making a trip to the Ureweras and returning with a “portfolio full of interesting views”, which must have been either Herbert or his brother Francis.[19]
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Popular Pastimes in New Zealand – Jumping at the A & P Show, Auckland, c. December 1907 Halftone print stereocard, photographed by F.E. Stewart, published by New Zealand Graphic Collection of Te Papa Tongarewa, Ref. O.005495 |
In January
1900 a photograph of the Jubilee Swimming Carnival at Auckland’s Caliope Dock,
an event which had taken place a decade earlier in 1890, appeared as a halftone
print under the byline of F.E. Stewart – almost certainly our Francis Ernest
–in the New Zealand Illustrated Magazine.[20]
Then between December 1907[21]
and January 1912[22]
he was an intermittent contributor to the New Zealand Graphic of
photographs of sporting events and leisure activities, mostly in the Auckland
region, but occasionally further afield in locations such as Thames and
Whanganui. In 1907 they also published some of his stereoviews as part of their
New Zealand Graphic Series, issued with the weekly newspaper.[23]
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| Mud Volcano, Waiotapu, Rotorua, N.Z. (Radcliffe & Stewart, #158), c.
1907-1914 Sterephotographic view, photographed by F.E. Stewart, published as postcard by F.G. Radcliffe Tauranga Heritage Collection, Ref. 0105/19 |
A series of his stereophotographic views of the Auckland North, Rotorua and Taupo districts were published as postcards under the “Radcliffe & Stewart” banner, probably between 1909, when F.G. Radcliffe is known to have commenced his operations,[24] and the onset of the Great War in late 1914.
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| Tour group and guide standing before wharenui, Rotorua, c. 1900-1922 Photographed by F.E. Stewart, Rotorua The Ngaire Hart Estate Collection, Courtesy of Cordy’s Auctions |
In December 1915 advertisements appeared simultaneously in the Auckland[25] and Wellington[26] newspapers, inserted by Stewart and Bennett, photographers of Rotorua, looking for a outdoor photographer and a lady retoucher, “with experience [in] bromide printing and photographic colouring preferred”. Postcard format photographs are known from this era depicting tourist groups with Maori guides at several locations, including Whakarewarewa[27]and Ohinemutu (above), with “F.E. Stewart Photographer Rotorua” either as a blind stamp or in purple ink on the reverse.
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| Studio portrait of Te Akakura Ru (wife of Rua Kenana) and her son Ruhoni, Rotorua,
c. 1910-1920 Silver gelatin postcard print, photographed by F.E. Stewart Collection of Whakatāne Museum Te Whare Taonga o Taketake, Ref. P96 |
From the high negative numbers (up to 8648 have been found) it is clear that by this time Francis had a substantial operation in Rotorua, presumably with an outdoor photographer employed to capture the tourists on their peregrinations, while Stewart and possibly a retoucher remained at the studio to take indoor portraits and carry out the developing and printing.
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| Group of men and women doing a haka of welcome, Rotorua, c. 1907-1922 Photographed by F.E. Stewart Collection of Alexander Turnbull Library (James Cowan Collection), Ref. 1/2-021059-F |
Francis Stewart worked from premises in Amohau Street, Rotorua until at least 1922, then between 1925 and 1938 moved to Amohau Street, describing himself as an apiarist. Then in 1941, a further move took him to Mount Maunganui where he became a shopkeeper. He remained there until his death in 1953.[28]
[1] “Untitled [F.E. Stewart on a Visit to Tauranga],” Bay of Plenty Times, June 30, 1890, Volume 17 Issue 2530 edition.
[2] Francis Ernest Stewart, “Photography. F.E. Stewart of the Firm of Stewart Bros., of the Thames. Advertisement,” Bay of Plenty Times, July 24, 1890, Volume 17 Issue 2537 edition.
[3] Brett Payne, “Charles Spencer (1854-1933) – Part III – Serving the Community,” Tauranga Historical Society (blog), September 13, 2019, http://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2019/09/charles-spencer-1854-1933-part-iii.html.
[4] Brett Payne, “Visiting Price’s Corner Studio on The Strand,” Blog, Tauranga Historical Society (blog), October 3, 2014, https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2014/10/visiting-prices-corner-studio-on-strand.html.
[5] Alan Charles Bellamy, ed., Tauranga 1882-1982, the Centennial of Gazetting Tauranga as a Borough (Tauranga, New Zealand: Tauranga City Council, 1982).
[6] “New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, Passenger Lists, 1839-1973,” Database with images (Wellington, New Zealand: Archives New Zealand, June 14, 2024), 1839–1973, FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org, https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1609792.
[7] “New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-2010” (Wellington, New Zealand: Parliamentary Library), Ancestry.com, accessed February 25, 2024, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1836/.
[8] “Mr H. Stewart, Photographer, of Cambridge,” Waikato Times, March 30, 1889, Volume 32 Issue 2608 edition.
[9] Herbert Samuel Stewart, “H. Stewart, Photographer, Cambridge. Advertisement,” Waikato Times, November 30, 1889, Volume 33 Issue 2713 edition.
[10] Francis Ernest Stewart, “Photography. F.E. Stewart’s Studio Now Open. Advertisement,” Thames Star, April 26, 1890, Volume 22 Issue 6559 edition.
[11] “Athletic Tournament (Tauranga Gymnastic Club),” Bay of Plenty Times, September 22, 1890, Volume 17 Issue 2561 edition.
[12] “Untitled [The Tauranga Brass Band],” Bay of Plenty Times, December 31, 1890, Volume 17 Issue 2573 edition.
[13] “Untitled [The Tauranga Brass Band’s First Public Appearance],” Bay of Plenty Times, March 16, 1891, Volume 18 Issue 2604 edition.
[14] “Untitled [F.E. Stewart Engaged to Take Photographs at Domain],” Bay of Plenty Times, August 7, 1891, Volume 17 Issue 2715 edition.
[15] “Brass Band. Presentation to Mr F.E. Stewart,” Bay of Plenty Times, September 9, 1891, Volume 20 Issue 2728 edition.
[16] Francis Ernest Stewart, “F.E. Stewart, Photographer. Advertisement,” Waipawa Mail, November 28, 1891, Volume 14 Issue 2692 edition.
[17] “Untitled [Photographer Mr Stewart Now in Dannevirke],” Bush Advocate, February 25, 1892, Volume 7 Issue 590 edition.
[18] “Local News and Notes [Mr H. Stewart Opens Hair-Dressing Saloon],” Hot Lakes Chronicle, July 17, 1895, Volume 2 Issue 128 edition.
[19] “Local News and Notes [Mr Stewart, Photographer, Has Returned from Urewera Country],” Hot Lakes Chronicle, December 18, 1895, Volume 3 Issue 159 edition.
[20] Francis Ernest Stewart, “Calliope Dock Auckland. Scene of the Jubilee Swimming Carnival, 1890,” New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, January 1, 1900, Volume 1 Issue 4 edition.
[21] Francis Ernest Stewart, “Auckland Agricultural Association’s Show [Photographs],” New Zealand Graphic, December 7, 1907, Volume 39 Issue 23 edition.
[22] Francis Ernest Stewart, “Wanganui Celebrates the Anniversary of the Province With a Big Caledonian Gathering. [Photographs],” New Zealand Graphic, January 29, 1913, Volume 49 Issue 5 edition.
[23] Francis Ernest Stewart, “Snapshots Taken During the Jumping and Riding Competitions at the Enormously Successful Auckland Show. [Photographs],” New Zealand Graphic, December 7, 1907, Volume 39 Issue 23 edition.
[24] William Main and Alan Jackson, “Wish You Were Here”: The Story of New Zealand Postcards (New Zealand Postcard Society, 2005).
[25] Stewart and Bennett, “Outdoor Photographer, Youth and Retoucher. Advertisement,” New Zealand Herald, December 2, 1915, Volume 52 Issue 16090 edition.
[26] Stewart and Bennett, “Photographer and Retoucher. Apply Immediate. Advertisement,” Dominion, December 10, 1915, Volume 9 Issue 2640 edition.
[27] Francis Ernest Stewart, Tour Group at Whakarewarewa, c. -1920 1900, Silver gelatin postcard print, 88mm x 138mm, c. -1920 1900, Te Papa Tongarewa, https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/1400586.
[28] “New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-2010.”
