Elizabeth Pulman: New Zealand Photographer

Abstract

My paper examines the works of Elizabeth Pulman, New Zealand’s first known woman photographer. A nineteenth-century studio photographer, she is particularly renowned for her photographs of Māori. Born in 1836 in the small town of Lym, County Cheshire in the UK, Elizabeth emigrated to New Zealand with her husband George in 1861. In 1868 George Pulman opened a photographic studio in the rapidly growing settlement of Auckland. It was just after the fiercely fought Land Wars. and cartes de viste albumen photographs of the most famous Māori warriors were in strong demand among the public. Working alongside George, Elizabeth learnt the craft of photography while also raising nine children. Then wh..