By Roselyn Fauth
Photographic albulm, Cultural facilities, Industrial facilities, Commercial facilities, Government facilities, Mountains, Lakes & ponds, Beaches, Churches, Cities & towns and Harbour. Timaru, New Zealand, circa 1910, Timaru, by William Ferrier, F.W. Hutton & Co. Gift of Lord Kitchener, 1960. Te Papa (AL.000566) Te Papa
I grew up waiting for the light. That will sound familiar to anyone who had a photographer in the family. We would pile into the Ford Falcon, six of us crammed in, and head off on day trips to explore and capture the light in photographs. Often we found ourselves in some random roadside spot while Dad (Geoff Cloake) stood there with his Olympus film camera, waiting for the perfect light to shine. My mum was a patient woman, often keeping four restless kids entertained while the sun dipped or the clouds shifted to where the light was just right.
Dad used slide film. It was expensive, and so unlike me and my click-happy phone, he had to be careful, deliberate, making sure each frame counted. There was no instant gratification either. Every shot had to be processed by Langwoods Studios before he could see what he had captured. I think that patience rubbed off on us. It taught me the value of looking, hunting, and of waiting, of noticing.
I wonder if waiting for the light links me to William Ferrier's kids. While my dad stood with slide film loaded carefully into his camera, William was probably out with heavy wooden cameras, lugging fragile glass plates coated in gelatin emulsion. Each one was expensive and delicate, each exposure a commitment. Like Dad, he could not afford to be careless. Both of them had to look first, to really see, and then decide if the moment was worthy of a frame. That thread of patience and restraint connects their generations to mine, even if my click-happy phone feels a world apart.
I also wonder if William Ferrier’s family had the same experience...
William Ferrier early Timaru photographer, circa 1900. South Canterbury Museum 2012/186.2991
Born in Edinburgh in 1855, William Ferrier arrived in New Zealand as a teenager on the William Davie, travelling with his widowed father and sister Jessie. After time in Oamaru and Christchurch he set up his first photographic business on Stafford Street in 1881 with John Rock, before striking out on his own in Timaru in 1881 and moving he moving to the corner of Beswick and Stafford Streets. His “Ferrier’s Portrait Rooms” were well known in Timaru.
For the next forty years he became one of South Canterbury’s most enduring photographers. If you have ever seen an old image of Caroline Bay, the early harbour, or Stafford Street lined with parades, chances are it was taken by him. He may have produced as many as 10,000 glass negatives, with about 6,000 thought to survive. Around 20,000 of his postcards were sent to Europe in 1907, creating an international audience for Timaru scenery. He had an artist’s eye. He was considered one of the earliest and most talented photographers in New Zealand. One of his most famous works is the sweeping panorama of Timaru taken from the dome of the Sacred Heart Basilica in 1911, they are such high quality that you can zoom in and find all sorts of interesting spot the differences with the view we would see today.
A view of Strathallan Street, Timaru, sometime in the 1860s. It appears to be taken from Le Cren's Terrace (now The Terrace) looking across to the Royal Hotel. A copy negative, believed to have been taken by William Ferrier, of an original print.
He was described in his obituary as “a photographer beyond the average” and “a humble man who pursued his calling in an unobtrusive way, living in the realm of art.” That humility shows through his work. His photographs are not flashy. They are steady, patient, and observant. They leave us a record not just of places, but of how one man saw his town and the land.
Caroline Bay, Timaru, Labour Day, circa 1912, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (O.020360)
Competition, Faith and Community
Photography in those days was part art, part chemistry, and I think part magic. Ferrier worked with glass plates, darkrooms, and later experimented with new processes like carbon printing and stereoscopic images. Apparently he even tried his hand at X-ray photography in the 1890s! Yet he kept a steady footing in Timaru, running his studio from Fyfe’s Building, then Ross’s Royal Arcade, before finally settling in Stafford Street. (I will take you on a Fyfe side quest soon, known for his blue stone quarry).
However even though Timaru was a small town, he had his compeition. The 1880s and 90s saw price wars with other photographers like Adolf Fischer, and later the arrival of fresh talent such as Alfred Hardy and Frederick Muir. But Ferrier seemed unruffled, confident in his place as the established name. The Burton Brothers are oftern in the musum archives, and will need a history hunt deep dive to figure out how they link into Ferrier's story too.
Beyond the studio, I found it interesting to learn that he gave his time to the Methodist church on Bank Street, serving as a lay preacher and Sunday school teacher, and to the arts community, exhibiting paintings, teaching classes, and helping form the South Canterbury Arts Society. Photography was his craft, but faith and community were his anchors. The Bank Street church is still there, thought has had some tweaks over the years, and at present is closed to the public. The Church was designed by local architect Francis Wilson, I wonder if they knew each other. One who loved to design buildings and the other who like to capture them with their lens.
Mt Cook and part of Hooker Glacier from the back of Hermitage, circa 1909, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051455)
Eva Beatrice Cunninghame Ferrier
Behind William was his wife, Eva Beatrice. Born in 1863, she married him young and lived to 1946, outlasting him by more than twenty years. She is harder to trace in the records. Like many women of her time her life was not documented in headlines or public obituaries. Yet we can glimpse her through her children.
Eva and William had eight of them. Ethel Beatrice and Ileen Mason Lowe, the eldest daughters, lived long lives through much of the twentieth century. Gilbert Colin Cunninghame Ferrier, known as Colin, became an architect-in-training and lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers. He was killed at Ypres on 11 November 1914, the first South Canterbury officer to die in the war. He was only 24. His name is recorded on memorials at Timaru Boys’ High School, Waimataitai School, and the Menin Gate in Belgium.
The Ferrier children (and friends?), circa 1907. Some of the Ferrier children have been identified by a descendant as: FRONT: Eva (b.1903), Sarah Catherine 'Kitty'(?), ?, ?, Herbert 'Boo' (b.1898) BACK: Gilbert Colin(?) (b.1890), ?, William Hedley, John Lowe
William Hedley Ferrier lived until 1958. John Lowe, known as Jack, was declared medically unfit for service during the war but returned to Timaru and later married. Herbert Gordon Ferrier enlisted at 19, too young to see action overseas, but lived into the 1970s. Sarah Catherine and Eva Clara, the youngest daughters, both lived long lives in the twentieth century.
Eva had to endure what no mother should: sending three sons to war, losing one in battle, and waiting helplessly for news of the others. Yet she lived on into her eighties, a matriarch who held the family together. She rests today in Purewa Cemetery, Auckland.
Ferrier Family. Ferrier was described as a humble man who pursued his calling in an '…unobtrusive way, living in the realm of art…' and…a photographer beyond the average'. - South Canterbury Museum https://museum.timaru.govt.nz/explore/online-exhibits/past-exhibits
The Ferrier legacy did not end with photography. Their grandson, Colin McCahon, became New Zealand’s most celebrated modernist painters. Colin was born in Timaru, and had art lessons from local Daisy Le Cren when he was 10. Some say Daisy was a big part of McCahon's success. You can trace the artistic thread through the generations, from William’s glass plates to McCahon’s canvases. The way of seeing, the patience with light and shadow, the urge to capture what is fleeting but essential, runs through them.
(As a quick side quest, as I wrote about Betty recently... After Daisy died, McCahon created a series of paintings titled Landscape panels in memory of Daisy Le Cren (1976) as a tribute. These were gifted to her daughter, Betty Curnow, who was a friend of his. Betty Curnow, Daisy’s daughter, was a significant figure in New Zealand art circles. She was born to Charles Le Cren and Daisy, and became a printmaker and artistic figure in her own right).
Grave of William Ferrier Timaru Photographer By Roselyn Fauth. William Ferrier died in 1921, aged 61. His son, William Ferrier Jr, carried on the business until 1961. The “Ferrier” studio had an 80-year presence in Timaru
I think we should owe gratitude to photographers like William. His pictures are not just art, they are memory. They are how we know what Timaru once looked like, how people gathered, what the harbour was like before reclamation changed its shape. They allow us to see the city as he saw it.
And we owe gratitude to women like Eva, who rarely appear in the frame but whose labour and love made such legacies possible. She raised children who served, who endured, who created. Her legacy is quieter but just as enduring.
When I take a step back from the Ferrier story, and look wider, I keep going back to why do these Timaruvians matter, and what do they leave for us today?
William gave us a record of light. His photographs captured Timaru as it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the harbour, the parades, the faces, the landscapes. They are works of art, but also a kind of community memory that we still lean on.
Eva gave us a legacy of children, she raised eight, and held the family together through wars and grief, and carried on long after William had gone. Through her, their legacy did not just survive, it grew. One of her grandsons, Colin McCahon, became New Zealand’s most influential painter. That thread, from glass plates to bold canvases, began with her patience and care.
Their Methodist faith is written into Timaru’s very stones and stained glass, their names part of the Bank Street church memorials. Their endurance is woven into the town’s fabric.
So perhaps that is their legacy: William teaching us to wait for the light, to value patience and perspective; Eva reminding us to notice the hidden stories, especially of women who rarely made the headlines but whose strength carried families forward.
Together, they gave us a legacy of art, faith, memory, and resilience, a legacy that still helps us see who we are today, and perhaps even make better choices for tomorrow.
PATITI POINT. William Ferrier (1855-1922) Breakwater Timaru Running a Southerly Gale,1888. Oil on canvas. Algantighe Art Gallery Collection 2002.10
William Ferrier was bornin Edinburgh, Scotland, and immigrated to New Zealand in 1869. He trained as a photographer in Christchurch and Oamaru, and in 1881, set up his own studio in Timaru. Ferrier was the grandfather of the well-known New Zealand painter, Colin McCahon (1919-87), who was born in Timaru. Ferrier is known for his success in documenting a vital part of Timaru's history on photographic film, but he was also a painter. His landscape paintings were exhibited with the South Canterbury Art Society, of which he was a founding member. He was also a member of the Otago Art Society and Canterbury Society of Arts. Breakwater Timaru Running a Southerly Gale was produced from one of Ferrier's photographs (see reproduced above) This seascape, with its crashing waves and stormy skies shows the power of nature, and was a popular theme Ferrier returned to in both photography and painting.
Timeline: William and Eva Ferrier
1855 William Ferrier is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1863 Eva Beatrice Cunninghame is born in New Zealand.
1873 William emigrates to New Zealand on the William Davie with his widowed father and siblings.
1881 William establishes his own photographic studio in Timaru after working with John Rock.
1888
Twin daughters born:
Ethel Beatrice Ferrier (later McCahon)
Ileen Mason Lowe Ferrier (later Nelson).
1890 Son born: Gilbert Colin Cunninghame Ferrier (“Colin”), later an architect-in-training and soldier.
1891 Son born: William Hedley Ferrier.
1895 Son born: John Lowe “Jack” Ferrier.
1898 Son born: Herbert Gordon Ferrier.
1901 Daughter born: Sarah Catherine Ferrier.
1903 Daughter born: Eva Clara Ferrier.
1911 William takes a panoramic photograph of Timaru from the dome of the Sacred Heart Basilica, one of his most famous works.
1914 (11 November) Colin Ferrier killed at Ypres while serving with the 4th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. He is the first South Canterbury officer to die in the First World War.
1918 Herbert Gordon Ferrier enlists just before his 20th birthday; serves in New Zealand.
1922 (16 October)
William Ferrier dies in Timaru, aged 66. He is buried in Timaru Cemetery.
1922 A stained glass memorial window is installed in the Bank Street Methodist Church for the congregation’s war dead, including Colin.
1943 (28 December) John Lowe “Jack” Ferrier dies in Timaru, aged 48.
1946 (5 September) Eva Beatrice Ferrier (née Cunninghame) dies in Auckland, aged 82. She is buried in Purewa Cemetery.
1973–1979
The Ferrier daughters pass away:
Ethel Beatrice McCahon (1973)
Ileen Mason Lowe Nelson (1969)
Sarah Catherine Ferrier (1975)
Eva Clara Ferrier (1979).
William Ferrier captured a photo of the First Express arriving from the North, Timaru, circa 1909, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051444)
William’s photographic record remains one of Timaru’s most significant visual archives.
Eva’s legacy as mother to eight children carried the family line forward into the 20th century, including grandson Colin McCahon, New Zealand’s most celebrated painter.
Chalmers Church from Church Street, Timaru, circa 1910, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Te Papa (O.051446)
William Ferrier was a member of the Wesleyan (Methodist) Church. The Methodist Wesley Church, Timaru (# 4419); the Congregational Church in North St, Timaru (#2506)" Soon after his arrival in Timaru William Ferrier became a lay preacher for the local Wesleyan Methodist Church (a post he held for ten years). He also taught in the Sunday School and served as the Vice-President of the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society. Despite ceasing to be a lay preacher he still took services as late as April 1918 on assorted subjects including abstinence and the fall of man. He also gave talks and demonstrations on photography and supplied or operated a magic lantern when slides were required." - South Canterbury Museum
Congregational Church in North St, Timaru South Canterbury Museum
A commemorative certificate of appreciation to Mr E Holdgate upon his retirement as Superintendent of the Wesleyan Sunday School, December 1885.
Comprised of an illustrated message surrounded by portraits of Mr Holdgate and his "fellow teachers and officers" of the church.
Those pictured have been identified as (clockwise, starting with Edward Holdgate at the top centre):
Edward Holdgate, Godfrey W Ellis (near edge), G H Warrington (near text), H S Hiskens, M K Fairclough (outer corner), H Jackson, A Clarke, Annie Bezzant,Clara J Clarke, Phoebe Coe, Bertha Vogeler (outer corner), Ina Musker, Selina Clarke, Harding Grenfell, Robert Holdgate, William Coe, John Radcliffe (outer corner), Carl G Vogeler, Alfred Farguse, William Ferrier, Walter Gilchrist, Edwin Goldsmith, William Moore (outer corner), George B Paterson, John Holdgate(near text), Andrew Bascand (near edge).
Sources
https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-timaru-herald/20131207/281998965259786
Focus on important early photographer in Timaru (01 Feb 1986). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 30/09/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/901
- William Ferrier was a Scottish-born photographer.
- He lived in Timaru from 1881 to 1921.
- He recorded four decades of Timaru’s growth through photography.
- Ferrier’s main subjects were the port of Timaru and Caroline Bay.
- He took portraits of people, as well as landscapes and street scenes.
- His work documented breakwater construction, schools, and town development.
- Ferrier opened his first photographic studio in Stafford Street in 1881.
- Later, he worked at the corner of Beswick and Stafford Streets.
- In 1888, he married Eva Cunningham of Oamaru.
- They had eight children.
- Around 20,000 of his postcards were sent to Europe in 1907.
- His postcards, albums, and glass negatives survive today in large numbers.
- About 6,000 of his glass negatives are thought to still exist.
- He was one of the earliest and most talented photographers in New Zealand.
- Ferrier also painted and sketched, though photography was his main art.
- He helped found the South Canterbury Art Society in 1890.
- He later became president of the society.
- Ferrier’s photography business ran for many decades.
- His son William Ferrier Jr continued the business after his death.
- The business operated until 1961.
- Ferrier died in 1921 at the age of 61.
- His photographs are still displayed in homes, books, and exhibitions.
- Dr John Lester, a researcher at the Aigantighe Art Gallery, has studied Ferrier’s work.
- Ferrier’s photographs are valued for their historical and artistic qualities.