The Burton Brothers

The Burton Brothers were a duo of photographer brothers, Walter Burton and Alfred Burton, who were active in New Zealand in the late 19th century . They specialized in landscape photography of New Zealand, capturing its magnificent natural beauty with innovative techniques and artistic sensibility for the time. Their work not only contributed to the development of tourism in New Zealand, but has also been highly praised as a form of photographic art.

Burton Brothers Biography

• Learned photography in England in the 1850s
• In 1866, he emigrated to New Zealand and opened a photography studio.
• From the 1870s onwards, he travelled around New Zealand and took landscape photographs.
• He was particularly fascinated by the mountain scenery of the South Island, and produced numerous works.
• In 1898, the studio closed.
• 1914: Alfred Barton dies
• 1923: Walter Burton dies

Representative works

• Milford Sound
• Mount Cook
• Franz Josef Glacier
• "Rotorua Geysers"

The style and achievements of the Barton Brothers

The Burton Brothers' work captures the majestic nature of New Zealand with dramatic composition and detailed depiction. They used cutting-edge technology at the time to take large-format photographs with a large format camera. Their work is vividly captured down to the finest detail, giving the viewer an overwhelming sense of impact.

The Burton Brothers were pioneers of landscape photography in New Zealand, and had a major influence on subsequent photographic expression. Their work not only promoted tourism development in New Zealand, but is also highly regarded as photographic art.