William Edmond Brown
Nelson Academy of Photographic Art, Hardy Street, Nelson
Honorable Mention for Portraits & Views - Nelson Exhibition 1873
Honorable Mention for Portraits - Hokitika Exhibition 1873
Honorable Mention for Portraits - Hokitika Exhibition 1873
City Improvements.
An opportunity has been afforded us of inspecting the plans of a handsome building, which is about being erected in Hardy street, for Mr W. E. Brown. The building in question is to occupy the site of Mr Gilmer's sample rooms, and, whilst provision is made for a splendid photographic studio, &c., there will be a spacious shop on the ground floor, with convenient offices above. With a street frontage of 32 feet, the building will be of imposing appearance, for its height to top of parapet will also be 32 feet.
In the centre of the ground floor, the rooms on which will be 12 feet 6 inches in height clear, there will be a shop, attached to which will be two convenient rooms, and on either side of the shop is an entrance hall, that on the west giving access to a flight of stairs communicating with a suite of fine roomy offices on the upper floor, and the hall on the western side, will provide an entrance to Mr Brown's studio, waiting room, and work rooms, the hall being eight feet in width. From this entrances hall, a staircase leads to a wide landing on the upper floor, on to which opens a fine large waiting room, and the studio which is to be 31 feet in length, the walls of which will be plastered with the object of' securing coolness, and the arrangements provided for lighting the gallery are of the newest design and most complete description. In addition to these there is a workroom or two, and a property room. The front elevation shows a fine shop front with large folding doors on either side, whilst on the second floor three circular beaded windows are shown above the plain cornice which separates the two stories. The top of the building is finished with a handsome, cornice, surmounted by an ornamental iron parapet railing. The. .works are being carried out by Mr John Scott, who hopes to make a start on the site next week, and the plans have been prepared by Mr. A. F. T. Somerville, who is also supervising the erection of the building.
An opportunity has been afforded us of inspecting the plans of a handsome building, which is about being erected in Hardy street, for Mr W. E. Brown. The building in question is to occupy the site of Mr Gilmer's sample rooms, and, whilst provision is made for a splendid photographic studio, &c., there will be a spacious shop on the ground floor, with convenient offices above. With a street frontage of 32 feet, the building will be of imposing appearance, for its height to top of parapet will also be 32 feet.
In the centre of the ground floor, the rooms on which will be 12 feet 6 inches in height clear, there will be a shop, attached to which will be two convenient rooms, and on either side of the shop is an entrance hall, that on the west giving access to a flight of stairs communicating with a suite of fine roomy offices on the upper floor, and the hall on the western side, will provide an entrance to Mr Brown's studio, waiting room, and work rooms, the hall being eight feet in width. From this entrances hall, a staircase leads to a wide landing on the upper floor, on to which opens a fine large waiting room, and the studio which is to be 31 feet in length, the walls of which will be plastered with the object of' securing coolness, and the arrangements provided for lighting the gallery are of the newest design and most complete description. In addition to these there is a workroom or two, and a property room. The front elevation shows a fine shop front with large folding doors on either side, whilst on the second floor three circular beaded windows are shown above the plain cornice which separates the two stories. The top of the building is finished with a handsome, cornice, surmounted by an ornamental iron parapet railing. The. .works are being carried out by Mr John Scott, who hopes to make a start on the site next week, and the plans have been prepared by Mr. A. F. T. Somerville, who is also supervising the erection of the building.
Colonist, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4028, 3 January 1885, Page 3
[purchased January 2021]
above cdv courtesy of The Laurence Eagle Collection
"Mrs H. E. Hall November 1881"
above cdv courtesy of The Laurence Eagle Collection
William Edmond Brown was my great grandfather. I have recently acquired a number of his photos which were left to my late mother by my grandfather, including a `colored` phot of him and his wife taken while on a trip back to England later in life. He retired from photography in the early 1890`s and acquired a sheep station in the Tasman , west of Nelson. He died in Neslon in June 1922.
ReplyDeleteHello Murray, thank you for your comments about William Edmond Brown. I would be pleased to include a photograph of your great grandfather if you are able to send me a copy.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased I found this blog. Do you mind if I post a link to my blog about a family that originated in Somerset who emigrated firstly to Australia and then New Zealand?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind, can I use the images of the backs of your cards to help confirm a date when photos were taken by William Edmond Brown of the family I'm writing about?
Great blog by the way.
Hello, yes please use any of the images that you want.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much.
ReplyDeleteI will make sure I include a link to your blog and give you credit for the use of the backs of the photos.
Can I ask how you know the dates of the photos? Do the numbers coincide with dates?
Hello, generally ... unless the date is written on the photo its almost impossible now to know the date the photo was taken.
ReplyDelete