Topics

Search blog

Capturing History: Women-owned Photographic Studios at the Turn of the 20th Century

By Dr Joanne Dolley - 2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellow | 16 May 2025

Dr Joanne Dolley - 2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellow.

Professional photography studios were a popular business for women throughout Queensland in the late 1800s to the first half of the 1900s. There is a broad geographical presence of female professional photographers and studios throughout Queensland in this era. Queensland women of photography have brought a female perspective to the record of Queensland history.

Photography had a high status and paid well. The social standing of professional photographers was listed in Queensland’s 1870’s “Order of Social Standings” alongside scientists, engineers, artists, authors and editors (1). In 1911, the State of Queensland statistics (2) list photographers as the second highest paid income for women (behind clothing manufacturing managers), earning 27s3d per week compared to the average and median female income of 19s6d. Male photographers earned 55s2d per week.

Prior to the introduction of the SLR camera in the 1960’s, photography was a difficult art to master. Camera equipment in the late 1800’s was prohibitively expensive and often dangerous due to use of mercury, cyanide, and incendiary materials such as guncotton, ether and flashpowder. Many female photographers began their studio careers doing photo touch-ups (for example to take the shine off a bald head) and colour tinting of black and white photography. This blog will concentrate on three studio businesses – Harriett Brims’ studios (1894-1914), Ada Driver Studio (1910 – 1919) and Dorothy Coleman Studios (1938-1950’s).

Harriett Brims

Mrs. Harriett Pettifore Brims, née Elliott (1864-1939), took up photography in the Herbert River district, Northern Queensland. Harriett started a small photographic studio from a room attached to the family residence in Ingham (1894 to 1903), then operated from a purpose-built studio, called “Britannia Studio”.

Harriett Brims reading a book on her verandah in Ingham, Queensland, ca. 1894-1903. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 31054-0001-0339. (3)

Photographic studio at Ingham, Queensland, ca. 1902. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 31054-0001-0279. (4)

Harriett moved studio locations as her engineer husband, Donald Gray Brims, grew and relocated his businesses, including the move to Mareeba, where she continued her studio from 1904 to 1914. Donald made the dry-plate “maple-wood cameras and cow-hide carrying cases, and even crafted shutters from discarded opium tins.” (5)

Harriett’s Maplewood camera and leather case, crafted by her engineer husband, Donald. Photo by J.Dolley. (6)

Harriet was a clever businesswoman, offering special deals that encouraged clients to purchase sets of photos. In 1908, Miss Sara Lavery and A.Whelan from Fossilbrook in Mareeba Shire ordered a dozen photos of each portrait in order to claim the special offer of one enlargement/dozen photos ordered. The order came to £2 , 15s. According to the Research Bank of Australia pre-decimal inflation calculator (7), this sale would be valued at approximately $475 in 2024.

Reserve Bank of Australia Inflation Calculator

Follow-up correspondence on this order shows evidence of perhaps one of the earliest requests for doctoring a portrait – “Is it possible to fix my mouth, I am sorry my lips are parted. If it is not possible never mind, we are both well satisfied with the proofs.”

Harriett sold photos to local newspapers including one of the National Bank (8) and documented her husband’s various businesses (both the bank and husband’s business captured in the photo below).

Queensland National Bank and D. G. Brims & Sons' Sash & Door Factory in Mareeba, Queensland. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image number: 31054-0001-0031.

Mrs Brims, a mother of five, had her profession recorded as “Home Duties” on her death certificate, though we, the readers, know her profession as “photographer”. A history of early 1900’s North Queensland is beautifully captured for viewing in State Library’s digitised collection of 75 original plates by Harriet Brim, covering her favourite subjects of landscapes, locals, news items and her portrait clients: see this photo as an example.

Business correspondence for an order of portraits in 1908. 31054, Harriett Brims collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Photo by J.Dolley. (8)

Ada Driver Studio

Ada Driver (1868 – 1954) was one of the most successful photographers working in Queensland in the early twentieth century. Ada trained as a portrait photographer and opened the Ada Driver Studio in 1906 in Queen Street Brisbane. The studio, in Bleak House, George Street, was one of the first to have an electronic sign on top, causing quite a stir in 1912.

Ada Driver Studio electronic sign in 1912. Barrie, S. (1987) Queenslanders behind the camera : professional photographers in Queensland, 1849 to 1920. <Morningside, Qld: S. Barrie>. (10)

Ada specialised in “high-class portraiture and illustrative work” employing the latest processes, including colourising, soft-toned photographs, “as well as producing images for magic lantern slides and stereoscopic photographs" (11). Magic lanterns project images via a light source.

31660 Ada Driver photograph of a horse and gig in Alice Street, Brisbane, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (12)

Some of Ada’s portrait shots and illustrative pieces were published in Queensland newspapers. This photographic study in “The Queenslander” 6/12/1919, titled, “The Homecoming”, illustrates her colour techniques.

Illustrated page from The Queenslander, December 6, 1919, p. 55. Driver, A. (2010) Illustrated page from The Queenslander, December 6, 1919, p. 55. Brisbane: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Ada was sought after for her portraits which specialised the use of ‘the latest processes’ such as ‘artistic colouring’, photographs converted to postcards and children’s portraits, as advertised in The Brisbane Courier (12 Aug 1907). (14)

Portrait of Edwin McAntie, Brisbane, 1900-1910. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Negative number: 44693.(15)

Studio portrait of Muriel Ethel Armstrong. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative number: 94165.(16)

The State Library houses numerous portrait photographs taken on location and at Ada Driver’s Studio, including the Maxwell family of Ipswich and Maryborough (17) ; the Dunning family (18) of the Kilcoy, Woodford district; and the Powell and Prentice families (19) of Sandgate and Brisbane.

Wedding photograph by Ada Driver from the Powell and Prentice family collection, date; between 1890 and 1939. 32076 Powell (Family) (1890) Powell and Prentice family photographs. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (20)

Ada Driver photograph of members of Brisbane Ladies Rowing Club, between 1910 and 1919. 32076 Powell (Family) (1890) Powell and Prentice family photographs. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. (21)

Ada employed mainly female studio assistants and passed on her skills to them, also training photographers including Elsie Lambton. Ada’s sister, Lucy, managed the Ada Driver Studios in Fortitude Valley and her Queen Street studio continued to operate until 1919.

Dorothy Coleman Studios

Dorothy Coleman started her trade as a photo retoucher and colourer at a number of studios in Brisbane city from 1918. In 1938, Dorothy bought the Murray Goldwyn Studio on the corner of Queen and Edward streets. With General MacArthur’s headquarters across the road and US Navy personal stationed above her studio, she had a steady stream of war-time USA soldiers and sailors seeking portraits to send home.

Dorothy Coleman Studios came to fame when she acquired a “speed graphic camera” capable of taking ballroom photos in full spin. Her studio specialised in photos of ballroom dancers, balls, and ballet portraits such as the portraits of dancers from Phyllis Danaher’s School of Ballet.

Ballet couple posing in Dorothy Coleman Studios. 34251, Valma Lock collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Dorothy had a way with portrait sitters, particularly children, ensuring that they felt comfortable in the studio, resulting in naturalistic facial expressions. Dorothy’s receptionist, Peggy Glynn, described her Dorothy's technique as popping out of the curtains with a toy, to delight the child then “squeeze the bulb” to capture the moment. (23)

Child portrait from the Powell and Prentice family photographs. Macfarlane, D. (1980) Dorothy Coleman / Deborah Macfarlane.

Dorothy was a well know figure in the photography and art world, so much so that her holiday plans were announced in the Courier Mail social columns. Dorothy was also a keen artist and active participant in the Brisbane art scene, as photographed in her studio in 1953.

Dorothy Coleman on the right. (25). Artists from left to right: George Wilson Cooper; Flora Hoskin; Vera Leichney; James Wieneke; Kathleen Coren (later Leichney); Dorothy Coleman and Marion Finlayson at the front. (Description supplied with photograph.)

Members of the Brisbane Art Group meeting at Dorothy Coleman's Studio, ca. 1953. 7609 James Wieneke Collection of Photographs, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, negative number: 165432.

Studios owned by Queensland women – A list

Thanks to the meticulous work of Sandy Barry (26) it is possible to list studios owned by Queensland women in the period of 1849 to 1920. I acknowledge the limitations of determining who is female by assumptions based on first name and/or honorific (Miss/Mrs), details of which are not always available.

Photographic Studios owned by Queensland women 1849 to 1920

Owner (alphabetical)	Studio Name	Location	Dates (if known)
Agar, Miss Bernice	Bain Studio	Ruthven St, Toowoomba Sydney	1908 1918-1920’s
Bain, Miss Annie	Bain Studios	Ruthven St, Toowoomba	1890’s
Barnes, Mrs P.		Wondi	1913-1921
Brims, Harriett	Brittania Studio	Ingham Mareeba Chillagoe	1902-1903 1903-1914 1904-1905
Caldwell, Miss M. Caldwell, Miss Bobby	(Adelaide St)	Maryborough	1885
Clutterbuck, Mrs W.J.		Toowoomba	1915-1916
Driver, Miss Ada	Ada Driver Studio	96 Queen St*, Brisbane 51 Queens St 127 Queen St	1905-1906 1907-1912 1912-1921
Duffy, Miss D.		97 Queens St	1919-1920
Eichorn, Miss C.M.		Cooktown	1904-1906
Elliot, Mona	Mona Elliot Studios	Ruthven St, Toowoomba	1917-1921
Keen, Miss		Cairns	1911-?
Kirke, Miss N.		Ayre & Bowen	1911-?
Martin, Mrs (and Mr)		Sugarloaf	1902
Morgan, Mrs Sarah E.		Cunnamulla	1909-1910
Mortimer Evans, Mrs		Taabinga	1910-1919
Nisbet, Mrs M.J.		Stoke Street, Townsville	1913-1919
Ramsen, Mis E.		273 George St, Brisbane	1990-1920
Stewart, Miss M.		204 Queen St, Brisbane 97 Queen St, Brisbane	1917 1918-1919
Sullivan, Mrs E.		Thursday Island	1919-1921
Townley, Misses		Southport	1920
Wood, Mrs W.P.		Newtown	1919-1920

*Queen Street Brisbane was re-numbered several times in the early 1900’s, so the studios may not have change location.

Call out for your stories

If you notice anyone missed from this list, please let me know by emailing qldmemory@slq.qld.gov.au and I can update the blog with further information. As you will see from the list, women of professional photography were located throughout Queensland, providing a valuable historical visual record of life in rural and city Queensland.

Read other blogs by Dr Joanne Dolley:

Hair Salons to Hospitals – Histories of Queensland Businesswomen

Dr Joanne Dolley
2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellow
The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellowship is generously supported by the John Allpass Charitable Foundation.

References

Barrie, S. P2, Vol 1, (1987) Queenslanders behind the camera: professional photographers in Queensland, 1849 to 1920. Morningside, Qld: S. Barrie.
QLD. Statistics of the State of Queensland, 1911 by Government Statistician (Qld); Australian Bureau of Statistics (1912), QLD. Statistics of the State of Queensland, 1911. Addeddate 2023-05-28 11:22:05 Identifier 1911-statistics-of-the-state-1911 https://archive.org/details/1911-statistics-of-the-state-1911/page/n161/mode/2up?view=theater
Brims, H. (2017) Harriett Brims (left) reading a book on her verandah in Ingham, Queensland, ca. 1894-1903. Brisbane: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE1356885
Brims, H. (2017) Photographic studio at Ingham, Queensland, ca. 1902. Brisbane: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE1356697
Harriett Brims” in “Magnificent Makers: Queensland Inventors and their Curious Creations”, Magnificent Makers Exhibition, State Library of Queensland Dec 2017-June 2018, ISBN: 978-0-6480796-1-3.
Brims, H. et al. (1890) 31054 Harriett Brims collection 1890-1930. 31054, Harriett Brims collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Record number 99183468318702061 (Photos by J.Dolley)
https://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/annualPreDecimal.html
Brims, H. (no date) Queensland National Bank and D. G. Brims & Sons’ Sash & Door Factory in Mareeba, Queensland, Queensland National Bank and D. G. Brims & Sons’ Sash & Door Factory in Mareeba, Queensland. https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE1355929
Brims, H. et al. (1890) Harriett Brims collection 1890-1930. 31054, Harriett Brims collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Record number 99183468318702061 (Photo by J.Dolley)
Barrie, S. (1987) P.13. Queenslanders behind the camera : professional photographers in Queensland, 1849 to 1920. <Morningside, Qld: S. Barrie>.
Australian Women's Register, retrieved 31 July 2028 from http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE5971b.htm
31660, Ada Driver photograph of a horse and gig in Alice Street, Brisbane, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Record number 99183588406002061.
Driver, A. (2010) Illustrated page from The Queenslander, December 6, 1919, p. 55. Brisbane: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Miss Ada Driver's Studio, 1907, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19386920 Trove
Ada Driver Studio (no date) Portrait of Edwin McAntie, Brisbane, 1900-1910. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/viewer/IE305976
Studio portrait of Muriel Ethel Armstrong (nee Willis) taken at Ada Driver Studio, Brisbane. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/1dejkfd/alma99183513409102061
Anon (1870) 32794, Maxwell Family photographs, between 1870 and 1923? John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Poulsen, P. C. (Poul C. ) et al. (1890) Dunning family photographs 1890-1940.
Powell (Family) (1890) Powell and Prentice family photographs.
Powell (Family) (1890) Powell and Prentice family photographs. Box 18272 O/S, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Item barcode 82993056, call no. Acc 32076 O/S, Box 18272 O/S
32238, Ada Driver photograph of members of Brisbane Ladies Rowing Club, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Record number 99183711018002061
Dorothy Coleman Studios, photographer (1928) Valma Lock collection. Preferred citation: 34251, Valma Lock collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Record number: 99184350380302061
Macfarlane, D. (1980) Dorothy Coleman / Deborah Macfarlane. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Record number 997134364702061
32076 Powell and Prentice family photographs, between 1890 and 1939, Box 18272 O/S Call number Acc 32076 O/S
Anon (2007) Members of the Brisbane Art Group meeting at Dorothy Coleman’s Studio, ca. 1953. Brisbane: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. http://hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/12746
Barrie, S. (1987) Queenslanders behind the camera : professional photographers in Queensland, 1849 to 1920. <Morningside, Qld: S. Barrie>.

John Oxley Library (2018)Collections (1725)Women (21)Queensland women (17)Queensland Memory Awards (99)Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame (42)Queensland Library Foundation (179)Photography (23)Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellowship (57)QBLHOF (25)Queensland Memory Fellows (226)Queensland Memory Awards 2025 (6)Joanne Dolley (2)Harriett Brims (1)Ada Driver Studio (1)Dorothy Coleman Studios (1)