This week marks 60 years since Nelson’s first professional photographer, Rose Frank, passed away. Rosaline Margaret Frank was born in Nelson on 21 December 1864. At 21, when most women her age were marrying, Rose chose to become a photographic assistant for Tyree Studios in Trafalgar Street. The studio was owned by Fred and William Tyree who were ambitious and inventive. Rose was appointed manager of the studio when they both left to pursue other interests. In 1914 Rose purchased Tyree Studios from the brothers. Rose kept the Tyree name and moved the studio to a smaller premises where she managed the business until she retired in 1942, aged 82. During her 61 years as a photographer Rose kept her collection of over 200,000 glass-plate negatives in pristine condition and order. Many of these negatives were inherited from the early days of Tyree Studio and other Nelson photographers. Rose never married and lived with her sister, Josephine, on Maitai Bank, Nelson. She died in Nelson on 6 October 1954, aged 89. Before her death she donated the majority of the Tyree Studio glass-plate negative collection to the Nelson Historical Society, who in turn gave them to the Museum for safekeeping. Explore the Tyree Studio collection online here: bit.ly/1pOhBFv
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:14:30 +0000