Townsend Duryea

 

A Chronology

Townsend Duryea 1823 - 1888

1823
Born Long Island, New York
1852

Melbourne, Australia

Studio in partnership with Archibald McDonald, McDonald & Duryea, first in Bourke St East then in Collins St West

1854
Exhibited daguerrean portraits and views at the 1854 Melbourne Exhibition
1854
Geelong - travelling photographer
1854
Tasmania - Hobart and Launceston Studios
1855
Duryea Brothers, Adelaide - with his brother Sandford
1857
Sanford moves to Perth and establishes a studio
1857 - 1859
Nixon & Duryea Studio, Adelaide
1859
Sanford returns, Duryea Brothers re-established.
1859
Duryea showed four crayon photographs at the South Australian Society of Arts exhibition.
1863 - 1875
Partnership dissolved.
Duryea's Studio, corner of William and Grenfell Streets, Adelaide
1863
Duryea offers carte des visites
1865
Duryea Panorama of Adelaide
1867
Offical photographer to the Duke of Edinburgh
1875
Fire destroys studio and glass plate negatives
c.1875
Duryea leaves Adelaide for Balranald
1888
Dies as result of accident.

 


The Duryea family

Townsend Duryea had an extended family. He had married twice before leaving America, the first time to Madalina (one son and daughter), about 1852 to Elizabeth Mary Smith and she accompanied him to Australia and onto Adelaide (four sons and a daughter). Finally 22 May 1872 Duryea married Catherine Elizabeth Friggins (three sons and two daughter). Leaving him with 8 sons and 4 daughters.

The Duryea family was much involved in photography in Australia. Besides his brother, Sanford, four sons and grandson were photographers - Townsend Jnr, Edwin, Richard and Frank.

See also the original and large Duryea New York clan/family before Townsend moved to Australia >> 1850 NY Census.

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RCS Photographers Entry

Townsend Duryea (Jnr) 1854 - 1925

Townsend Duryea (junior) operated a studio in Ryan Street, Moonta, South Australia, then moved to Adelaide and operated several studios. He died in Port Pirie in 1925.

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What happened to Sanford Duryea?

Born in New York in 1833, he followed Townsend to Melbourne around 1853, then joined Townsend in partnership as The Duryea Brothers in Adeliade around 1857, moved to Perth and married, moved back to Adelaide and re-established the partnership with Townsend for a couple of years, and then?

There is a record of a New York 1880 census that has a Sanford Duryea and his Australian wife and many children living in NY.

Then there is a collection of NY Photos that has a portrait by S Duryea.

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Aboriginal Portraits

Then there is the book by Reverend George Taplin: The Narrinyeri. An Account of the Tribes of South Australian Aborigines inhabiting the Country around the Lakes Alexandrina, Albert, and Coorong, and the Lower Part of the River Murray: their Manners and Customs, also an Account of the Mission at Port Macleay. Adelaide, J.T. Shawyer, Printer, 1874. It has an original albumen paper photographic frontispiece which is a Townsend Duryea photograph, a composite of five numbered oval portraits.

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Main references sources

 

 

 

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