James Taylor b. 1846

  • Artist (Photographer)
James Taylor was a professional photographer who emigrated from Scotland to South Australia in 1864. He settled in Gawler, where he operated a photographic studio. He later moved to Port Augusta in the state’s north, where he photographed town and scenic views, as well as Indigenous subjects. His tableau photographs have been compared to those by Thomas Cleary.
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Citations

  • Newton, G. (1988), 'Shades of Light: Photography and Australia 1839-1988’, Canberra, ACT : Australian National Gallery.

  • Peterson, N. (1989), 'A Colonial Image: Penetrating the reality of the image’, Aboriginal Studies, vol. 1, pp. 59-62.

  • Donaldson, I.; and Donaldson, T. (eds) (1985), 'The Popular Image’, Sydney, NSW : Seeing the First Australians, Allen & Unwin.

  • Noye, R.J. (2007) ‘Dictionary of South Australian Photography 1845-1915’, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. CD-ROM.

  • Photohistory SA Archived Website

    http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/noye/Photogs/Phot_set.htm

  • Robinson, Julie and Zagala, Maria (2007), 'A Century in Focus: South Australian Photography 1840s to 1940s’, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.

See also

Initial data sources

  • Legacy data. Source 'unknown'
  • Photohistory of SA, Art Gallery of South Australia

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Born at Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1846, James Taylor arrived in South Australia on the _Lady Milton_ in 1864, and by 1868 was operating a photographic studio in Gawler. His advertisement in the _Gawler Mercury_ for 3 December 1875 said: ‘James Taylor, photographer, Murray Street, Gawler, begs to thank the inhabitants of Gawler and the neighbour-hood for the liberal patronage received during the past seven years, and that having procured instruments and appliances of the newest and most approved construction, his customers may rely upon receiving really good, artistic portraits. The operating room is large and fitted with every appliance for the comfort of visitors.’ ¶

In 1880 Goodfellow & Hele of Adelaide published _The Gawler Handbook_, written by George E. Loyeau, a former resident and prominent citizen of Gawler. Seventeen real carte de visite by James Taylor were individually pasted on separate pages throughout the volume. A review of the book by the Register said the photographic views represented ‘the most important edifices and establishments in the town [and] nearly all of these, though small, are very clear and distinct … The frontispiece is the portrait of the late John McKinlay, the well-known explorer.’ ¶

On 8 July 1882 Taylor opened a branch establishment at Port Augusta, in Church Street, near the Church of England. Some of his surviving cartes de visite bear the imprint, in gold on a chocolatecoloured mount, ‘Taylor, Gawler & Pt Augusta’. In September the _Port Augusta Dispatch_ drew attention to samples of Taylor’s work which could be seen at his studio in Church Street and at
 J.W. Davis’ jewellery and watchmaking shop in Commercial Road. ‘Some are portraits of wellknown residents, which will at once be recognised. For finish and fidelity these photos are firstclass. Mr Taylor has succeeded in taking a capital photograph of the interior of the Church of England, Port Augusta [which is] well deserving of a place in any album.’ ¶

Within three months of opening in Port Augusta, James Taylor had erected a new studio in Church Street where he was taking portraits between 9 am and 4 pm. ‘Cricketing, football, and other groups’ were taken by appointment. He also had large panoramic views of Port Augusta for sale which showed ‘the whole extent of the town and surrounding country’. The whole panorama was
 74 by 14 inches in size, and when mounted cost £1 2s 6d. A half-size view, 42 by 14 inches, mounted, was 12s 6d, and any single frame could be purchased for ls 6d, unmounted. ¶

At some time between March and November 1883 James Taylor changed his address from Church Street to Commercial Road, and by December 1884 his studio at Gawler had been vacated and taken by Philip Marchant. ¶

Directory entries show that James Taylor had moved from Commercial Road to Chapel Street, Port Augusta, by 1888, and this entry continued to 1903, with a branch studio at Quorn listed from 1897 to 1901. In 1901 his son, Frank Taylor, printed the _Port Augusta and Stirling Illustrated News_, which ran for just seven issues and contained articles on Port Augusta and Stirling, and
 illustrated with photographs taken by James Taylor. ¶

By 1904 James Taylor was no longer listed in the directory as a photographer at Port Augusta, or any other place in South Australia, but he re-appeared as ‘artist and photographer’ at 187 Childers Street, North Adelaide, in directories from 1909 to 1912. In the directory for 1907, 187 Childers Street was given as the address of his son, Donald Taylor (q.v.), who founded the Donald Taylor Collotype Company in 1903, and it appears James Taylor was involved with this business in the years he was not listed in the directory. ¶

In an article on James Taylor which appeared in the December 1982 issue of the _Australian Cartophilic Society_ newsletter, Bronte Watts gave details of postcards issued by James Taylor between 1904 and 1908. He also refers to Taylor’s experience as a collotype printer. ¶

In an advertisement in the _Advertiser_ for 28 May 1863, calligraphist J.S. Stacy announced that he was ready to teach any style of writing at 76 Currie Street, which had previously been known as ‘Taylor’s Photographic Rooms’. As James Taylor’s arrival in South Australia has been given as 1864, the photographer at 76 Currie Street must have been an as yet unknown Mr Taylor. ¶

James Taylor died on the same day as his wife, 4 September 1917, aged 71 years. ¶

*Text taken from:* ¶
Noye, R.J. (2007) ‘_Dictionary of South Australian Photography 1845-1915’_, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. CD-ROM, p.294-95.