The Fine Arts Library has made an Elam taonga accessible through the digitisation of E.W. Payton’s Round about New Zealand: being notes from a journal of three year’s; wanderings in the antipodes.
Edward William Payton (1859-1944) held the position of principal of Elam School of Art from its founding in 1890 until his retirement in 1924. Payton originally came out to New Zealand in 1883 and spent nearly four years travelling the country sketching. His published journal Round about New Zealand (1888) includes descriptions of his time in the King Country and Whanganui regions, with the renowned photographer Alfred Burton.
B_____’s camera and my sketches received a good deal of attention from the natives, and opinions were divided as to which was the most interesting to watch – the camera with all its mechanical arrangements or my colour-box. I had something to show them in my sketches; but B___, who never developed his plates, had nothing but his camera to show. However, I think he was the favourite… (Payton, 1888, p. 280)
Incidentally while Burton is ‘B_____’ in Round About New Zealand, Payton is ‘Mr P’ in Burton’s Diary (Burton & Rotorua Art Gallery, 1980).
Payton’s publication complements the collection of copies of his en plein air sketch books and original photographic prints which are held in Elam’s Special Collections. In 1986 photocopies and original records created by E.W. Payton over a period of nearly 40 years, were lent by his granddaughter to the respected photographer and Elam academic John B. Turner. In 1989 these items were accessioned and catalogued to form part of the Elam Archive.
Payton would have utilised these sketch compositions, or rough précis, to create more finished works (Balm, 2000). An example of this is shown below, where he obviously uses the sketch to create his illustration of The Tomb of the Maori Chief, Pipiriki, Whanganui (p. 256). In some ways this impression of a scene is more evocative than the tightly composed book illustration.
![TheTomb of the Maori Chief Piperiki [sic] King-Country,1888. E.W.Payton.](/images/blogs_library_auckland_ac_nz/nicai/The-Tomb-of-the-Maori-Chief-Piperiki,-King-Country,-1888,-Payton-Small.jpg)
The copies of his en plein air sketch books, comprising hundreds of pages, provide a visual resource of regions throughout New Zealand, providing an insight into late nineteenth-to-early-twentieth century New Zealand.
An important caveat is that the majority of this collection is made up of photocopies. The originals are still in private hands. While for the textual sources, where the content is not significantly affected, it is a different situation for the original watercolours, where the images are not in colour but in black and white. Consequently the images have lost a level of subtlety and depth.
Contemporaries and fellow teachers included Frank and Walter Wright and Kennett Watkins, who became well known artists. Payton’s place in art history on the other hand, has not reflected the early kudos accorded his work. (Payton & Rotorua Art Gallery, 1994)
This quote is drawn from the brief exhibition catalogue created for the 1994 exhibition entitled “Payton’s Place in New Zealand Art History” held by the Rotorua Art and History Museum. Rotorua’s Museum of Art and History holds the most significant collection of Payton’s photographs (with nearly 1000 of his photographs being held in their online catalogue).
Payton may not have received the same level of kudos attained by his peers. However, Round About New Zealand, the archival materials and his art work have ‘something to show’ for the past and for future generations. As artistic, historical and social documents, they provide evidence of the travels in which Payton was involved. They are an insight into the times in which they were created, especially in terms of the exploration and discovery of New Zealand, even in the later nineteenth century. They are significant in the way in which they show the role of the artist and photographer in creating our sense of place. They also illustrate the way in which photographers and artists, such as Payton, helped to start devising a visual language to represent a landscape which was to become our own.
They offer a sense of identity for his family, the wider community and Elam alumnae who can include themselves a part of the heritage he helped to create. This archive and publication is therefore deemed as taonga for both the Payton family and their descendants, as well as for those people whose ancestors and lands he depicted. This is a concept which Payton who was a fluent speaker of Maori, would appreciate.
Balm, R. (2000). Expeditionary Art: An Appraisal. Geographical Review, 90(4), 585-602.
Burton, A., & Rotorua Art Gallery. (1980). King Country journey, Alfred Burton : Rotorua Art Gallery travelling exhibition. Rotorua: The Gallery.
Payton, E. W. (1888). Round about New Zealand : being notes from a journal of three years' wanderings in the antipodes. London: Chapman & Hall.
Payton, E. W., & Rotorua Art Gallery. (1994). Payton's place in New Zealand art history : June 3 -August 29, 1994. Rotorua: Rotorua Art & History Museum.
Victoria Passau
Fine Arts Library