painter, brother of Carl Magnus Oscar Friström , was born in Sweden, son of Clas August Friström (sometimes spelt Fristrom in Australia and New Zealand), a teacher, and his wife, Christina Carlson. Oscar lived in Queensland from 1884. By 1885 he was a partner in a photographic studio that presumably also included his younger brother, Clas Edvard (known at Edward), who described himself as a photographic artist when he married Margaret Johnson in Brisbane on 11 July 1886. Both brothers appear to have been largely self-taught as artists.
By 1897 Edward Friström had his own Brisbane studio. He was a member of the Council of the Queensland Art Society (which Oscar had helped establish) in 1892, 1894-96 and 1898-1903 and exhibited 53 paintings with it between 1899 and 1902. He resigned in 1903, evidently because he had left the country. He had visited the United States before 1903 and had also painted in NZ before moving permanently to Auckland with Margaret and their three children. He joined the Auckland Society of Arts and in 1904 showed 7 paintings with it: three Brisbane scenes, 3 NZ scenes and a Maori portrait. In association with the photographer Gerald Jones, Edward opened a studio in Queen Street, Auckland, offering the same sort of photo-portraits he had previously sold in Brisbane.
Edward moved to Wellington in about 1910, but soon returned to Auckland. He taught at the Elam School of Art in 1911-15 then resigned after his request for a pay rise was refused, leading some of his students to form a breakaway class. Edward travelled to Australia a number of times after settling in NZ, as well as across the Pacific. On 30 June 1915 he finally retired from Elam after protracted negotiations failed and on 5 July he and Margaret left Auckland forever. From Wellington they embarked for the USA to join a son and daughter. Edward became involved in art activities in northern California, where he exhibited both plein-air landscapes and studio paintings, but never became widely known. He died on 27 March 1950 in San Anselmo, California.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
