Frank Coxhead

•Artist: Frank Coxhead

•Title: Mitre Peak, Milford Sound, NZ. From the album: 'Australasian scenery'

•Media: black and white photograph, albumen silver print

•Dimensions: 194mm x 143mm

•Date: 1882

  

 

Frank Coxhead Frank Coxhead was born in 1851 and his stepbrother Harry, born in 1846.They came to NZ with their parents in 1858.The Coxhead Brothers made their mark in photographic history and Frank especially with his fine landscape work.Harry Coxhead was qualified by 1868 and took over J W Allen's studio in Moray Place, opposite the stables of the Criterion Hotel (now Savoy). He was also active in Timaru in 1872 where he had a branch studio.Frank Coxhead was qualified by 1872 and took over J W Allen's second studioin Princes St, near the Octagon.Coxhead Bros had an Invercargill branch, first in Don St and by 1875 in Esk St and it was in Invercargill that both brothers were married.Harry Coxhead gave up photography and died in Timaru about 1885.Frank Coxhead opened a luxurious studio on the corner of Princes & High Streets (CMA Building) Dunedin in 1890 where he had speaking tubes connecting the reception area with the working floors and a lift for the use of clients. He also had waiting rooms, dressing rooms, lavatory, printing &enlarging rooms, retouching, burnishing and mounting rooms as well as a special room on the corner of the building with a window looking north up Princes Street for tourists and it was here that he displayed his view photographs.He apparently designed this studio after a visit to the studios in Europe &America and contained the latest ideas.In about 1898, he handed over his best landscape plates to the Burton Brothers, who included some of his prints in their catalog of 1901 after removing his signature and substituting their own.No more of Frank Coxhead is heard of in Dunedin after that time, but his landscape views, often mounted in large albums, are treasured today by libraries, art galleries, museums and collectors of fine photographs. (http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NEW-ZEALAND/2002-05/1021717261)

• Statement:  From the 1870s, professional photographers competed fiercely to bring back images of its spectacular scenery, first prompting, and then reflecting, tourist visits to the area. Today, thousands of tourists take the same photograph from the same spot. (http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/1064992)




•Background Information on the art:  This is one of New Zealand's most iconic scenes. In the late 19th century, Milford Sound was less accessible than it is today. It could be visited only by a hike over difficult terrain or by special steamer excursions.(/mitre-peak-milford-sound-nz-from-the-album-australasian-scenery/wwG-k2vOwAS3Ag?hl=en) - Museum of New Zealand

•Theme Connection:This early photograph is one of my favorites because of how serene and peaceful it looks at the Milford Sound. The water is calm with nobody around giving a person the ultimate chance to soul search and just be at one with their thoughts. Being on the banks of the sound with man's best friend seems like an epic way to spend some time in " The Great Outdoors."