Person:Thomas Muir (101)

Thomas Muir was a well known early commercial photographer in New Zealand. Early in his career he worked with Alfred Burton of the Burton Brothers firm. When Burton retired Muir formed a partnership with George Moodie and the firm Muir & Moodie was born. They retained the Burton Brothers negatives and reprinted many under the Muir & Moodie name as prints and postcards. The firm was successful maintaining studios in both Dunedin and Invercargil. Muir concentrated on photography within the studio, mainly portrait work, leaving the landscape, building, and typographical photography firstly to Burton and then to Moodie.

1. ↑ Muir, Thomas Mintaro Bailey, in Auckland Libraries Photographers Database.

   Name Muir, Thomas Mintaro Bailey
   Sex Male
   Studio address Esk Street, Invercargill 1894/95;Gore 1895;Tay Street, Invercargill 1915;34 Tay Street, Invercargill 1925
   Known years of operation 1894 1895 1915 1925
   Source Main & Turner, NZ Photography from the 1840s (1993), pp24-5; Wise's NZ Directory (1894/95) p1558; Wise's NZPO Directory (1915), p2136; Wise's NZPO Directory (1925), p2461; H Knight, NZ Photographers: a selection (1981), index; William Main, "Facing an Era" (2006), p90.
   Remarks Thomas Muir (c1852-1945) was Alfred Burton's partner for 15 years, before establishing his own studio in Invercargill. He later joined George Moodie, another ex-Burton employee, to found Muir & Moodie, specialising in Alpine photographs and moving into international printed postcards. In 1895 he took over J F Macedo's studio in Gore and installed R Rodgers as manager (Mataura Ensign, 14 May 1895, p2). Knight says - Dunedin, with Peyman and Irwin c1867, with Burton 1880-1896, with Moodie 1896-1916, Invercargill 1916-1939. Probate records held at Archives NZ (Dunedin) (no.21424).