professional photographer and builder, was born in England. He emigrated from Liverpool to Port Natal, then came to Victoria in 1853 and worked at his trade of bricklayer in Melbourne, where he took up photography. Moving to Ballarat, Ellis set up as the town’s first resident photographer, opening the Red Hill Photographic Rooms in 1854 from which he advertised portraits, views of local scenery and street scenes. Ellis first practised as a daguerreotypist, but by 1856 he was concentrating on the collodion positive process (ambrotypes). The Miner and Weekly Star praised his portraits of local characters, views of local scenery, buildings and mining machinery. Ellis trained A.V. Smith , then made him a partner in 1856. By the end of the following year Ellis had disappeared and Smith had sole control of the business. He may have gone back to building. From 1862 until 1868 one William J. Ellis (perhaps a son) had a successful architectural partnership in Melbourne with J.E. Austin, two of their larger commissions being for the Royal Albert Mechanics Institute and the Post and Telegraph offices in East Collingwood (1866-67). They mainly built houses, shops and hotels. This Ellis had his own practice from 1868 until the 1880s. His best-known surviving work is the original wing of the Fitzroy Town Hall, a temple form with a Corinthian portico.
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- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
