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- OCCUPATION: Photographer, 'opp Royal Hotel' Albury, NSW May 1863; Tumut, NSW (trav) 1864; Gundagai, NSW (trav) 1864; Boorowa, NSW 1866; Yass, NSW 1868; Fitzmaurice St, Wagga Wagga, NSW June 1870 - 72; Tumut, NSW (Trav)1872; Gundagai, NSW (trav)1872; Bridge Rd, Wagga Wagga, NSW 1889-90; Jerilderie, NSW 1892. Information supplied Sandy Barrie. Honorary Life Member, Australian Institute of Professional Photographers. Valuer of Photography, appointed, Australian Federal Department of the Arts. Researching Early Photographers. (Australia, New Zealand, also England, Scotland & Wales.)E-mail. Sandy_Barrie@bigpond.com.au
of Wagga Townsmen:
Fearne, William Farmer, purchased land in Fitzmaurice street, WW from Frederick Anslow Tompson March 2 1870, carried on business inn Hay, Corn and produce lines, probably first photographer in Wagga with a portrait gallery
near the masonic hall in 1873.
William Fearne
Also known as W. Tearne Artist (Photographer)
Although there were several other residences during the 1860s, it seems that Wagga Wagga was a particularly significant location on travelling photographer William Fearne's itinerary; the local newspaper tells us he set up studios there for extended periods at regular intervals.
Gender: Male
Roles: Artist (Photographer)
Active Period: 1864 - 1892
Residence: c.1892 Jerilderie, NSW
c.1870 - c.1890 Wagga Wagga, NSW
c.1872 Gundagai, NSW
c.1868 Yass, NSW
c.1866 Boorowa, NSW
c.1864 Tumut, NSW
Initial Record Data Source: The Dictionary of Australian Artists: painters, sketchers, photographers and engravers to 1870
https://daao.org.au/ 111 April 2020
WILLIAM FEARNE, TRAVELLING PHOTOGRAPHER.
I have lately been in contact with Donna Fearne, a descendent of William Fearne who was the photographer who visited Hay from Wagga Wagga in July 1867 (as described in Newletter No. II in an article about early photographers at Hay). Donna has provided some fascinating additional information about William Fearne and his working methods. The information and quotes below are from Donna. She explained that William Fearne was a travelling photographer, and that he had visited Hay on at least one other occasion "and probably more often than that".
During the early 1860s William Fearne worked as a travelling photographer in circuits which radiated from Albury, visiting stations as well as townships. From Albury he would travel south to Beechworth, across to Chiltern, then back into New South Wales to Wagga Wagga, before returning to Albury. At that stage William James Fearne was aged about 40 years, and it is believed he had only recently arrived in Australia. He was probably born in London in about 1822. In about 1862 William Fearne married Emmeline Frances Delaine (aged about 21 years) in Victoria.
In about the mid-1860s William Fearne changed his base of operations to Wagga Wagga, where he established a studio and home in Baylis Street. From Wagga Wagga Fearne undertook tours that encompassed Adelong, Tumut, Yass, Gundagai and Boorowa and back to Wagga. He also undertook a Lower Murrumbidgee tour following the river to Narrandera and Hay, then across to Jerilderie and back to Wagga. Fearne probably followed this route when he visited Hay in 1867. It was common for William Fearne to 'take off' on a tour.
He kept all his equipment in caravans which were travelling studio and home, in the early days he did everything from glass case to enamel cloth to cartes de visites, he also did landscapes, farms and all sorts of other things. He was in Beechworth and Chiltern in 1862 and Albury in 1861 and 1863 and very probably had visited Hay before 1867 as part of those circuits. It is always possible he had received a mail order request from Mr. Simpson for whom he took the photo of his property, but in 1867 he hadn't yet settled in Wagga and really had no permanent address to be contacted by (that we know of) so it might have been more of an 'opportunity' rather than a request. What he used to do was to advertise that he was coming in advance in the biggest paper in the area, usually he advertised in the Wagga Wagga Advertiser, the Border Post or the Yass Courier. He rarely advertised in the local journals so the most likely spot to find ads for him coming to Hay would be whichever of the 'big' papers was common there at that time. He often managed to secure a reference in an editorial for which he no doubt provided a complimentary 'sample' portrait one imagines.
William Fearne would advertise his route a couple of weeks prior to his arrival. He would normally announce that he would be camped next to a particular hotel in the locality he was to visit:
? he usually already knew the town and place and it was easier for people on surrounding stations to get into the town and find him to part with their cash if he was established near a regular place to sleep and drink! It must have been quite lucrative, he seemed to do very well out of it.
Fearne carried a pair of corellas with him, which he probably had when he visited Hay in 1867.
Apparently this wasn't unusual ? it was the origin of the 'watch the birdie' saying and kept the kids happy.
The birds went missing or were stolen in 1872; Fearne offered a five-pound reward in the Wagga Wagga Advertiser for their return.
At Wagga William and Emmeline Fearne had seven children (five sons and two daughters) born from 1868 to 1882. In 1874 William Fearne, then aged 52 years, undertook another tour of the Lower Murrumbidgee. He had announced that he was ill; there was a widespread belief that the 'dry' air of the western Riverina was beneficial to health, which may account for his choice at this time. As well as the towns of Narrandera, Hay and Jerilderie, Fearne listed a considerable number of stations to be visited on this tour, including: "Sandy Creek", "Boree Creek", "Cocketgedong", "Widgiewa", "Urana", "North Yathong" and "Buckingbong".
In 1875 Fearne undertook another tour to "Tubbo" and surrounding stations. By 1876 he had sold his studio and equipment and became a farmer. He owned land in Travers Street, Wagga Wagga, near the racecourse, on both sides of the road. He also had an entire block on Baylis street (one block from the Wollundry Lagoon) as an investment property.
In the late 1870s he began a produce store but eventually went bankrupt in 1887. The family story is that he went back on the road and was taking photos in Jerilderie in the 1890s.
William Fearne died in 1902, aged about 80 years. He was recorded as a labourer on his death certificate.
He left no will and owned no property; there are no photos surviving of any of his children when young and none were saved within the family except for one photo of William and Emmeline respectively that was passed down through his eldest daughter's family. All the examples of his work we have traced were in private collections or museum-holdings and at least one was later used by Kodak for a postcard! I think he is very interesting because his career spanned such a long time in the development of photography from it being relatively rare and exclusive to being relatively common and accessible. It is also fascinating to be able to follow the paths your ancestor traveled and a great example of how sometimes no matter how hard you work and how hard you try, business, competition, mortgages, droughts, bad luck and poor decisions can take it all away and leave you with what you started, namely yourself and your family.
Donna would be pleased to be contacted by anybody with photographs by William Fearne.
He usually just scribbled his name on the back of the card although there are some preprinted cards he used. His name can look like Tearne/Searne etc. I am very familiar with the limited range of chairs, props, stools and carpet that he used and can sometimes place his photos that way. I intend to publish an account of Fearne's life and travels and would appreciate any information or examples of his work to help flesh out his story further.
If anyone has any further information about William Fearne or knows of the existence of any of his photographs I would be pleased to forward any e-mails to Donna.
http://users.tpg.com.au/hayhist/NewsletterFive.html
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AIGS/FHC Member's - Family Trees
1821 - 1902 (81 years)
