Born in England in July 1834, Joshua Finch arrived in South Australia on the John Henderson in 1849. Although a carpenter by trade, and only listed as such in the directories, he also figured prominently as a Gawler photographer in the 1860s.
In 1861 the congregation of St George’s Anglican Church decided to have a photograph of their new church ‘sent home’ to the London International Exhibition, which was to be held in 1862. Coombe’s History of Gawler, says: ‘a discussion took place as to whether or not it was necessary to “point” the church before it was photographed for the great exhibition, and it was at last decided that the south side of the church should be done, since that was all that would appear in the photograph’. In December 1861 the Register reported that Joshua Finch’s photographs of the south side of the church had been ‘handsomely framed’ and were ready to be sent to London.
An advertisement in the Bunyip, 11 February 1865, said:
Joshua Finch, photographer, Jacob Street, Gawler, in returning thanks to the public for their patronage, hopes to continue to receive a share of the same, by turning out a good article at a moderate price. Photographs taken on glass or paper. Works of art copied. Portraits taken for lockets, brooches, &c. Carte de visite and vignette portraits 10s per half-dozen.
In June that year he copied an engraving of the late General Wiseman that had appeared in the Illustrated Times, reducing it to carte de visite size for inclusion in family albums. The Advertiser was quite impressed, saying, it ‘reflects great credit on his knowledge of the art’.
The Gawler Institute held a grand ‘fancy fair, on the parklands in November 1865, and to commemorate the event produced a pamphlet which included photographs taken by Joshua Finch. Loyau’s Gawler Handbook describes one photograph, which was of ‘a noble arch of large dimensions’, on which was displayed ‘on a colossal scale, the music or notes of “The Song of Australia”, supported by the mottoes “Willkommen in Gawler”, and “Te Revidere Spero”’.
Joshua Finch died at Gawler on 15 February 1920.1
1Jill Statton (ed.) (1986), Biographical Index of South Australians, 1836–1885, South Australian Genealogy and Heraldry Society, p.499.
Text taken from:
Noye, R.J. (2007) Dictionary of South Australian Photography 1845-1915, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. CD-ROM, p.113.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
Nerina_Dunt
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2013
