In July 1884, an unassuming announcement in the Hawke's Bay Herald detailed the opening of a photographic studio in Port Ahuriri. The new business owners, Harriet and Joseph Cobb, had arrived in Napier on 5 January, having landed in Wellington with their children aboard the Lady Jocelyn on New Year's Day. Shortly after their arrival in Hawke's Bay, Harriet set about establishing herself within the local business network. Business EstablishmentHer position as a woman of prominence in the photographic world is notable. The manner in which she chose to promote her services is of interest as well. Detailed in an advertisement published in September, Harriet sought to engage support from the local community, citing her 'several years' experience' in the photographic business, and detailing her proficiency, particularly, in portraiture. Promising 'special attention given to children' and services which could be acquired at a 'moderate' price, the manner in which Harriet went about appealing to and positioning herself within the local community provides a fascinating insight into the structure of the society in which she found herself. Credit: Hawke's Bay Herald, 21 July 1884, p.1., https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBH18840721.2.2.3 Harriet's skill as a photographer did not go unnoticed, as evidenced by an announcement published in the Hawke's Bay Herald in 1886 detailing Dr Julius Von Haast's interest in utilising her work to promote New Zealand at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition to be held in London the following year. Based on the showing of her work at the Industrial Exhibition in Wellington, evidence in itself of both her standing within the national photographic scence and the potential for mobility at this point in colonial New Zealand's develompent, Dr Von Haast was of the opinion that her work would 'be a credit to the colony.' It appears that Harriet was ready to take him up on his offer, announcing that, in light of this interest, she would not be attending the studio in Port Ahuriri over the winter, and would leave her husband Joseph willing to execute any orders for outdoor photography. Whether Harriet attended the exhibition is not known at this stage. In 1887, however, Joseph Edward Cobb was forced to declare bankruptcy which likely had a significant impact on the feasibility of any travel plans. Regardless, Harriet was, clearly, forging a successful career in her own right, quite independent, in many respects, from her husband. Consistent EngagementHarriet is present in all four primary sources utilised in this study. She appears alongside her daughter Elsie on the 1892 WCTU petition, and lists her occupation, unsurprisingly, as 'photographer' on both electoral rolls. Elsie's engagement is equally consistent, listing her occupation as 'spinster' on both occasions. The two appear together on the 1892 petition. In 1893, however, they have signed separately. Elsie signed sheet 432, her mother appears on sheet 433. This sheet contained some signatures from Napier but the bulk of signatories were from either Hastings or Havelock North. While not especially isolated, the dual city element of Hawke's Bay has formed a small component of this analysis after all, the connection between signatories from the three centres, in that they appear on a single sheet, is worth noting nonetheless. Harriet's appearance on this sheet is interesting but not, perhaps, altogether unexpected. In addition to her studio in Port Ahuriri, Harriet had opened a Hastings branch with her husband in 1885. Based in Napier, she attended the Hastings studio regularly, advertising her presence there on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays as a general rule. It is possible, then, that the presence of Harriet's signature on this sheet is of particular note. She may have been responsible for its transportation from Napier to Hastings, given her regular commute between the two centres. Credit: J.E. Cobb, 'Early View of Port Ahuriri', 1885, MTG Hawke's Bay, https://collection.mtghawkesbay.com/objects/75268 Political Photographers?The photographic world of Napier appears to have been a rather political one. While we have Harriet here, making a name for herself in the wider community, producing portraits, and engaging politically on the side, for men there is tangential evidence to suggest that engagement with this sector was connected to the launch of more formal political aspirations. Mayor of Napier and incumbent MP (also a noted anti-suffragist but I shall attend to that component at a later date) George Swan, and Samuel Carnell who successfully ousted Swan at the 1893 election, were also both engaged with the photographic sphere. Photographic studios were main street businesses, navigating a public world through close connection and depiction of their clients. Those operating behind the camera were thus exposed to a multiplicity of perspectives, and people, in these intimate settings. Photographers were entrepreneurial image-makers who operated in public space and engaged with civic society. The connections here are, as I've noted, tangential at present but present nonetheless and perhaps a point worth exploring further. Occupational IndependenceHarriet's photographic success provides another fascinating insight into the state of Napier society at this critical political juncture. Analysis of the occupational data obtained from the electoral rolls has proven fruitful, highlighting the extent to which, although such entries remain dominant, women were not as confined to domestic tasks as may have been expected. We have several more overtly interesting occupational entries. Photographers, bakers, hotel keepers, dressmakers, tailors, to name a few.
In addition, based on those located in the street directories for mapping purposes, the sample contains more than thirty women living either independently or as heads of their household. It appears, then, that the women of Napier enjoyed a degree of social freedom at this point in time and, as evidenced by Harriet's narrative, it was not unheard of for women to occupy respected positions in fields with which men also engaged. There was opportunity for advancement, great advancement in Harriet's case, perhaps more limited for others, but significant nonetheless.
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