John Nelson Taylor, born Aberdeen, Scotland, died 23 December 1927 at his residence 19 Swann's Road, Riccarton, Christchurch aged 72 years, married 9 January 1911 by the Rev. Father Hoare, St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Manchester Street, Christchurch Jane Martha Mary Barnett
son: William Anderson Taylor
Christchurch Artist.
Extraordinary Success.
The Minister of Internal Affairs recently delivered an interesting address to the Workers' Educational Association, in the course of which Mr Russell spoke comprehensively on the future prospects of Canterbury from an agricultural viewpoint.
An important subject, however, overlooked by the Minister in the course of his review was that of local industry and art. Great progress in this direction may also be looked for, and when that time comes there will be great scope for industrial photography. Even now photography plays a great part in our industrial life, and probably the best expert in this line in Christchurch is Mr J. N. Taylor, of 19 Swann's Road, Richmond.
A remarkable feature of Mr Taylor's pictures is the fullness of detail and the extraordinary capacity he has shown in taking photos of shop windows, which avoid those reflections on the glass from the road outside that spoil so many pictures by other artists. Mr Taylor is fortunate in having a monopoly of the knowledge of how to get this result. Another extraordinary feature of Mr Taylor's work is his success in making enlargements of small postcard photos, and the writer has never seen anything finer than Mr Taylor's work in this line. The community, too, is fortunate in having an artist of Mr Taylor's standing in its midst, and as his studio is at 19 Swann's Road, Richmond, it is easily reached from the city.
Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1422. 3 September 1918, page 8
Obituary.
Mr J. N. Taylor. The death occurred yesterday of Mr J. N. Taylor, who was one of the pioneers of illustrated journalism in New Zealand. The late Mr J. N. Taylor was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1854. He received a primary education, and was apprenticed to the lithographic trade, a calling in which he successfully engaged in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Carlisle.
Being of a roaming disposition in his earlier years, Mr Taylor came out to Dunedin in 1887, under engagement to the Caxton Printing Co. The attraction of Melbourne, during the boom, then caught him in its snare. After spending a few years in the Victorian capital, he was engaged bv the late Mr Whitcombe, of Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd., to take charge of the firm’s lithographic printing department in Christchurch. In 1890 he began experimenting at home with the modern illustration method of process engraving. His earliest work in the new sphere of illustration first appeared in the “New Zealand Wheelman,” and in the “New Zealand Railway Review,” which was then published in Christchurch. The discerning eye of the late Mr G. G. Stead saw the possibilities of this new method, and he engaged Mr Taylor to illustrate the “Weekly Press,” the first paper in New Zealand to appear with any illustrations.
In 1903 Mr Taylor left the “Weekly Press” to go to the “New Zealand Times,” Wellington, and a few years later he joined the illustrations staff of the Lyttelton Times Company, Christchurch. Seventeen years ago he gave over process work for commercial photography, and his workroom at 19, Swann’s Road, Richmond, became a rendezvous for brother photographers. Before taking to photography professionally, Mr Taylor was an active worker in amateur photographic circles and won many trophies in New Zealand and abroad. Apart from service on the Richmond School Committee from 1899 to 1903, he took no part in public life.
The late Mr Taylor was twice married, first to Miss Grace Cameron Dakers, of Aberdeen, in 1882, by whom he had two children, a daughter and a son. The son, Mr W. A. Taylor, of Avonside, still survives. His first wife died in 1908. By his second wife, formerly Miss June Barnett, of Christchurch, he had six children, five of whom survive.
Star (Christchurch), Issue 18336, 13 December 1927, Page 9
