The Cazneaux Family of Photographers

Harold Cazneaux was born in 1878 in Wellington, New Zealand. His parents Pierce Mott and Emma Florence Cazneau * both worked in photographic studios. The family moved to Adelaide in 1889 and shortly after Cazneaux joined his father working in Hammer & Co. photographic studio where he was employed as a colourist and retoucher. Cazneaux also attended classes at the Adelaide School of Design, as he wanted to pursue a career in sketching and drawing.

Monte Luke (1885-1962)
Portrait of Harold Cazneaux
Gelatin silver photograph
37.9 x 26.2 cm.

An international photographic exhibition was held in Adelaide in 1898 and Australian photographer, John Kauffmann, was one of the exhibitors. Kauffmann had spent the previous decade studying in Europe and had adopted a pictorialist style of photography. The pictorialists considered every photograph a work of art and favoured a softly focused "impressionist" style.

Kauffmann’s work was a revelation for Cazneaux who up until this point had only experienced traditional studio photography.

Cazneaux moved to Sydney in 1904 and began work at Freeman & Co. photographic studio. That same year he bought his first camera, a Midge box quarter-plate, and began experimenting with pictorial photography in his spare time.

While working at Hammers studio in Adelaide, Cazneaux met Mabel Winifred Hodge. In 1905 the two married and moved to Riley Street, North Sydney.

Freeman Studios were located in George Street so Cazneaux caught the ferry to and from work. With the Midge constantly in his hands the Harbour and city streets became a rich source of subject matter for his pictorial photographs.

The Cazneaux’s became parents in 1908 when the first of their six children was born. Rainbow, Jean, Beryl, Carmen, Joan and Harold became Cazneaux’s most favoured models. His wife Winne was his most valued critic. All his children spent time working with him in his studio.

Cazneaux joined The Photographic Society of New South Wales in 1907. In the following years he amassed such a large body of quality work that he was encouraged to exhibit on his own.

In 1909 Harold Cazneaux held the first solo photographic exhibition in Australia. Seventy-six of his pictorial photographs were exhibited, and were well received by the critics and public alike. In the years following, many of the photographs were exhibited in overseas salons and Cazneaux developed a formidable international reputation.

Kodak ran a competition titled "A Kodak Happy Moment" in 1914. Cazneaux entered an album of ten photographs and won first prize of £100. The prize money allowed the Cazneauxs to make a deposit on a home in Roseville.

"Ambleside" as it was known soon became the central focus of Cazneaux’s world. Far removed from the city streets "Ambleside" was set on a large block of land. A garden was soon designed and planted by the family, providing inspiration for Cazneaux’s pictorial photographs.

Pictorial photography had been spreading amongst a small group of photographers. In 1916 Cazneaux, Cecil Bostock, James Stening, W.S. White, Malcolm McKinnon and James Paton signed the Sydney Camera Circle declaration. They pledged to advance pictorial photography showing Australia in terms of sunlight rather than shadow.

Although bounding forward in his personal work, Cazneaux was still shackled to the conservative studio system with Freemans Studios. Supporting his large family left him no alternative.

The pressure of his dual career as a "pictorialist" and a traditional photographer finally grew too great. In 1917 Cazneaux suffered a nervous breakdown. As a result he resigned from Freemans and opened his own studio. Initially located in the city, redevelopment of the site forced him to relocate to "Ambleside".

Cazneaux was richly rewarded by the move to "Ambleside". Profession and passion now merged. The garden became an extension of his studio and he was soon doing brisk business.

Cazneaux had met the publisher Sydney Ure Smith at his solo exhibition in 1909. Ure Smith had followed Cazneaux’s career with interest. In 1919 upon launching a new monthly magazine called The Home, Ure Smith invited Cazneaux to become official magazine photographer.

The work for The Home was extensive and diverse. Cazneaux photographed Sydney’s social elite; artists, models, actors and the city itself. His professional relationship with Ure Smith extended beyond The Home magazine. Many of Art in Australia’s publications featured Cazneaux’s photographs including Sydney Surfing and The Sydney Bridge Book. During the thirties Cazneaux received several interesting commissions. In 1934 he was commissioned to take a series of photographs for a book depicting life at Frensham, a girls’ boarding school in Mittagong. This was followed by a commission from BHP who wanted him to photograph their steelworks at Newcastle, New South Wales and Whyalla, South Australia. The resulting series of photographs were precursors to a modernist style.

With a certain financial security during the mid to late thirties, Cazneaux was able to explore the Australian landscape. He made several trips overland and was moved by its grandeur, beauty and constantly changing light.

In 1938 Cazneaux was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain. For Cazneaux, an Australian photographer who had never travelled abroad, it was well deserved international recognition.

The outbreak of World War II meant a slowdown in Cazneaux’s studio. His work for The Home magazine had been much reduced since 1934 when Fairfax and Sons Ltd. purchased Art in Australia Ltd. from Sydney Ure Smith. The Home finally ceased publication in 1942. Cazneaux now turned his attention to portrait work, particularly soldiers and their families.

In 1941 tragedy struck when the Cazneauxs’ twenty-one year old son Harold was killed in the defence of Tobruk. Cazneaux was shattered and never quite recovered from the loss.

In 1952 a Harold Cazneaux tribute evening was organised by Keast Burke and Charles Walton. Hosed by photographer and historian Jack Cato, magic lantern slides were accompanied by a recorded commentary between Cazneaux and photographer Monte Luke. The evening was a testament to Cazneaux as a great Australian photographer. The following year Cazneaux died aged 75.



* The "x" was added by Cazneaux to emphasize his French ancestry.

I Sydney Skyline I Steam & Sunshine I Sydney, Old & New I
I
Spirit of Endurance I Frensham I The Home I
I
The Wheel of Youth I The Cazneaux Family of Photographers I

I The Catalogue I Exhibition Home Page I

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Last updated 16 December 2002