Design and Art Australia Online

professional photographer, took photographs in all the eastern colonies of Australia, except Tasmania, between 1859 and 1885. He presumably began his career in partnership with a brother ('E.’?), for the travelling photographers Chandler Brothers were taking portrait photographs at the Tamworth Hotel, Tamworth, in northern New South Wales during 1859, then at the Wellington Inn, Armidale, during February and March 1860. They advertised various types of photographs, including stereoscopic, pearl, ambrotype, melainotype (tintype) and collodiotype.

By 1861 Andrew Chandler was working alone in Armidale. He was at Gayndah, Queensland, in late 1862, advertising portrait photographs for 10s upwards from the Gayndah Hotel. After this he apparently worked in Melbourne, then set up in Sydney. On 1 January 1865 Mr A. Chandler and Albert Lomer , 'late of W. Davies [q.v.] & Co., Melbourne’, opened 'spacious photographic rooms’ at 419 George Street, Sydney. Their advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald stated that their operating room had been erected and fitted up under Chandler’s sole superintendence: 'Every description of photograph will be executed in the highest degree of perfection; also finished in oil or water colours. Mezzotints, life size pictures. Old and faded photographs enlarged and coloured in oil. Cartes de visite at Melbourne prices – viz, 20s per dozen’.

Chandler and Lomer continued to operate from 419 George Street until 1867, then 'Andrew Chandler, travelling photographer, late Chandler & Lomer’, moved north. He was back at Armidale in 1869 where he joined in a short-lived partnership with Charles Welch . He visited Warwick (Qld) for a fortnight from 20 October 1869 then moved on to Dalby, advertising cartes-de-visite finished in watercolours in the Dalby Herald of 15 January 1870. On 9 April he announced that he was 'leaving for Brisbane’.

Chandler and Lomer had another Sydney partnership in 1871-77. They called their firm the London Photographic Company for the last two years. A carte-de-visite by Chandler & Lomer ('late of Sydney’) has also been recorded from Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, Queensland. Andrew Chandler was working alone at Narrabri (NSW) in 1884-85.

Writers:

Staff Writer

Date written:

1992

Last updated:

2011