professional photographer, was born in Somerset, NSW (see Michelle Nicholls, The Hawkesbury Pioneer Register 2nd edn Windsor NSW: Hawkesbury Family History Group, 1994, for details of the Champion family). He moved to London and set himself up as 'a furnishing ironmonger and bath manufacturer’ at 18 Southampton Row. In October 1841, aged 41, he migrated from London to Australia with his wife and five young children (a daughter died in London before they left). Initially, he worked in Sydney checking goods at Woolley’s import store, and two more children were born in Sydney. All the children lived to be more than 60, most far older. The ninth and last was born at Windsor, NSW in 1849, where Thomas lived for over 30 years, becoming a well-known character in the district.
Champion first worked as the brewers’ R. & E. Tooth & Company’s representative in the Richmond and Windsor district. Then in 1858 he took four lessons in photography at 10/- a lesson and set himself up as a professional photographer in Windsor. In January 1859 he advertised that he would continue 'taking likenesses in the best style of art, at moderate charges’ at Church Street, Parramatta. Then he took a photographic assignment at Wiseman’s Ferry, arriving with Ted at J. Mackenzie’s place per steamer on 19 January and moving on to Dr Cross’s. On 18 February things began to go disastrously wrong when he left for Mrs Jurd’s inn at St Albans 'per police boat’, arriving at midnight 'drenched with rain’. They didn’t have a single customer for a week and from 25 February to 4 March took only ’1 or two portraits’. Champion’s chemicals and 'appliances’ were 'deranged’ by the rain and by his 'own want of experience in the art’.
By 1861, however, Champion was travelling confidently, profitably and professionally around the Hawkesbury District with 14-year old Ted, having arranged to hire themselves out to settlers at 30 shillings a week – the time it took to take a batch of portraits and develop them to the sitter’s satisfaction. He was with 'J. Lamrock Korrajong [sic]’ in November, then with Mr J. Sherwood at 'Woodside Cottage (Korrajong) Douglass’s Hill’ and Mount Tomah, ending the year at J. Markwell’s at Richmond. In January 1862 he began taking photographs at G. Cobcroft’s, Wilberforce. During the 1870s he worked primarily from his photographic 'gallery’ in George Street, Windsor.
Champion kept simple but detailed diaries of his daily activities from 1841 to 1877 (National Library of Australia MS 1093), including records of all the photographs he took. Posthumous ones of Revd P. Turner, who died on 1 November 1873, were noted on Tuesday 4 November (the day of the funeral): 'Printed & toned 1 doz portraits of Rev. T. for sale.’ He also sold posthumous cartes-de-visites and portraits of Mr J. Hoskisson, a wealthy and prominent mill owner of the district in January 1874. In his reminiscences, When We Were Boys Together (Windsor: F. Campbell, 1909, p. 31), J.C. Fitzpatrick recollected:
Down George-street from the Mill lived old Thomas Champion, photographer, collector, and a host of other things – who always carried with him when he walked abroad a white umbrella of antique design. He had a studio there for years.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
Note:
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 1989
