item details
NameOn the Clinton River, Te Anau to Milford Sound
ProductionBurton Brothers; photography studio; circa 1889; Dunedin
Alfred Burton; photographer; 1889; Te Anau, Lake
Alfred Burton; photographer; 1889; Te Anau, Lake
Classificationphotographic prints, albumen prints, vintage prints, landscapes
Materialssilver, albumen, printing-out paper, mounting board
Materials Summaryalbumen silver print
Techniquesalbumen process, printing-out, black-and-white photography
DimensionsImage: 288mm (width), 222mm (height)
Registration NumberO.041968
Credit linePurchased 2014
Overview
Alfred Burton (1834–1914) braved the cold of a Fiordland winter to take these photographs. After nearly two months roughing it with his son Harold and another assistant, he had completed the landscape series ‘Wintering on Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri’.
His hardship was worth it. In winter, the Southern Alps snowfall contrasts dramatically with bush-fringed lakes and rivers. Burton particularly admired the view from The Narrows, Lake Te Anau.
Years later, the Muir & Moodie studio used Burton Brothers negatives to make postcards for the domestic and tourist markets.