professional photographer, Gow was in partnership in San Francisco in 1851-52 with engraver Robert W Fishbourne as photographers and lithographers. The pair produced illustrated gold fields letter paper, a panorama of San Francisco and a view of the burnt out city in 1851. In Sydney in 1853 Gow advertised with Richard H Acley (q.v.)who had possibly travelled with Gow from San Francisco, that daguerreotype 'portraits, miniatures, landscapes, and subjects of every description’, taken with 'the most improved American apparatus’, were available from their gallery above Mort’s auction rooms in Pitt Street, Sydney (occupied from June 1854 by Conrad Martens and Pierre Nuyts ). The firm of Gow & Acley produced a daguerreotype of John Rae from which an engraving was published in the Illustrated Sydney News of 17 December 1853. James Gow is known to have been working in Sydney by 1854 so seems the most likely partner; David and William Gow , presumably members of James’ family, were listed as Sydney photographers only in 1857.
In 1854 James Gow showed daguerreotype views of Government House and other public buildings at the Australian Museum Exhibition in preparation for the 1855 Paris Universal Exhibition. When shown in France these Sydney views and a daguerreotype portrait of an Australian Aborigine (mentioned only in the French edition of the catalogue) were awarded an Honourable Mention. Gow’s general view of the Sydney exhibition and its exhibits is known from an embellished lithograph (ML, Australian Museum) inscribed as being after a daguerreotype by Gow. The figures in the print were doubtless added. Even so, such a comprehensive interior view shows an unusual expertise and subject for this medium and date.
In 1861 James Gow had eight photographs in the Exhibition of the Natural and Industrial Products of New South Wales in preparation for the 1862 London International Exhibition. From 1858 to 1867 his studio was at 410 George Street, Sydney. He was listed at 32 Campbell Street from 1868 to 1873, afterwards at 40 Campbell Street (possibly just a renumbering). He also appears to have made tours to New South Wales’ country towns; a Mr Gow was working at Yass in 1870. James Gow was not again listed in Sydney until 1883-84, when a photographer of this name was at number 3, off Milk Street. In 2009 on Manchester’s Radical History online an Australian descendant said that Gow was the James Gow of Manchester well known as a Chartist. That James Gow, however, would appear to have died in October 1849. The same authority reported James Gow died in Sydney in 1896 leaving a memoir. A grave exists in Waverley Cemetery for a James Gow who died 7 July 1896 aged 95 or 96. An American source mentions a listing of Gower as the surname.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2022
