WINIFRED TAYLOR

Winifred Taylor was born on 18 April 1901 in the Tasmanian town of Ulverstone.[1] She was the eldest of the four children born to Ada Jane Porter and George Patrick Taylor. In 1897, her father, a skilled watchmaker and jeweller, expanded the family enterprise by establishing a photography studio known as “G P Taylor, Photographer &c.”[2] This addition to the family business specialised in enamelled cabinet cards, photographic reproductions, enlargements and colouring.

Around the years 1902 or 1903, the accomplished Hobart photographer, John Bishop Osbourne,[3] made the journey to Ulverstone to work with Taylor. Osbourne’s wealth of experience and expertise enriched the studio, and he remained associated with it until approximately 1911 or 1912.

Gradually, the photographic studio evolved into the family’s principal business. Although the precise commencement of Winifred’s involvement in the studio remains uncertain, it can be surmised that she began her traineeship or general assistance duties prior to 1922, with the intention of learning the trade.

By 1922, she had embraced the vocation of retouching, a role she actively pursued until her marriage to Clifton Baker in 1928.[4]

ENDNOTES

[1] Birth Registration. RGD33/4/4 no. 129 pg 202-Ulverstone.

[2] “Advertising. G.P. Taylor. Photographer, &c”, The North West Post, 25 December 1897, pg3.

[3] “Business Notices. G. P. Taylor, Ulverstone, Photographer.”, The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times, 8 May 1903, pg 4. Exactly when Osbourne began working in Ulverstone is not clear but he was living there according to The Tasmania Post Office Directory (Wise’s) for 1903, pg 423.

[4] Marriage Registration. No 1176/1928