GRACE WALKER was a photographic colourist working in Perth, Western Australia, between the years of 1915 and 1925.
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ANNIE VINE worked as a photographer in Vines’ Studio, Wangaratta, Vic, between the years of 1912 and 1928
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In 1911 a studio called Lalla Vine opened in Melbourne by the Vine family. It’s not yet clear who operated it but the name Lalla may well be the affectionate name for Annie’s older sister, Eulalie Decourtet Hardy, who had died in 1868. The Lalla Studio did employ a female photographer although she’s not yet identified.
3 August 1912, The Record (Emerald Hill, Vic) pg 6.
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Portrait of a woman seated on a chair. B&W photograph mounted on green card. Taken at Vines’ Studio in Wangaratta, c1910s. Photoria Collection.
Portrait of a young woman. Photograph taken at Vines’ Studio c1910s and delivered as a postcard. Photoria Collection.
Portrait of a young woman, (reverse side). Photograph taken at Vines’ Studio c1910s and delivered as a postcard. Photoria Collection.
ELSIE VERRELL was a photographer in the Verrell Studio in Hobart, Tasmania. She worked with her father between the years 1914 and 1925.
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by Raffaele Caputo
Elsie Verrell was born in Hobart on 27 January 1890,[1] the second child among the seven offspring of Mary Stubbs (1866-1948) and Edward Verrell (1863-1947).
Elsie’s father was an established photographer in Hobart and had been since March 1887[2] when he took over the studio once operated by his former teacher and employer, Alfred Winter. The studio was situated on Liverpool Street, nestled between A. Mather & Co, drapers, and Mather & Son, mercers and tailor.[3]
In this photograph of Andrew Mather & Co. Family Drapers store, 91 Liverpool Street, Hobart the entrance to Winter’s, later Verrell’s, photographic studio entrance can be seen on the left-hand side. From Walker Family Scrapbook compiled by Peter Benson Walker. Private collection. Courtesy: University of Tasmania Library Special and Rare Materials Collection
Elsie’s involvement in her father’s photographic studio can be traced back to at least 1914 when she identified herself as a “Photographist” in the 1914 Electoral Roll.[4] At that time, she was around 24 years of age and had likely spent several years working in the studio in various roles. Interestingly, none of her siblings seemed to have pursued photography as a career, although this does not rule out their involvement in the family business at some time.
After her marriage in 1925,[5] it appears that Elsie, who was then 35 years old, scaled back her active engagement in the business, at least in an official capacity.[6] As Mr. and Mrs. Albert James Berkshire, Elsie and her husband did not have any children and dedicated themselves to their life together. Following her husband’s passing in 1941,[7] Elsie continued to reside in the Verrell family residence at 84 Forest Road, Hobart, until her death in 1959,[8] at the age of 69.
ENDNOTES
[1] Elsie Verrell’s Birth Registration
[2] “Death of Prominent Lodge Official”, The Mercury, 12 April, 1947, p 21; “Miscellaneous : Notice.”, The Mercury, 1 April 1887, pg 3.
[3] “Towns – General Directory. Hobart”, The Tasmania Post Office Directory for 1890-91. H. Wise & Co., Publishers, pg 56.
[4] Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll]
[5] “Family Notices. Marriages. Berkshire-Verrell”, The Mercury, 12 December 1925, pg 1.
[6] The Tasmanian Electoral Rolls for the years following her marriage indicate that Elsie did not claim any occupation other than that of a domestic partner.
[7] “Family Notices. Deaths. Berkshire”, The Mercury, 22 September 1941, pg 6.
[8] Elsie Linda Berkshire passed away on 5 March 1959 and was laid to rest in the Cornelian Bay Cemetery and Crematorium in Hobart, Tasmania. Find A Grave
Cecil Upton was both an artist and a photographic colourist in Sydney, NSW, between the years 1928 and 1930.
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Upton’s portrait, above, was taken at the Howard Harris Studio in October, 1928. It appeared in the Sydney newspaper, Sunday Times, on 21 October 1928, pg 19.
In early 1928, Cecil Upton represented the studio Mason-Leighton in the Society of Women Painters’ Association Poster Queen Competition.
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[Portrait of Bessie Rischbieth]. Taken in 1938 by Cecil Upton. Opaltype, hand coloured, 7.5cm x 6.5cm in case 12.5 cm x 10cm. National Library of Australia
ANNIE TYSON worked as a photographic retoucher in the Tasmanian town of Wynyard, between the years of 1914 and 1920.
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Annie Tyson may have worked with Myra Sargent, as their location and dates match up. However, this remains to be confirmed.