231
ing William Willis’s palladiotype by 60 years; Burnett’s
“cuprotype” of the same year anticipated Obernetter’s
process of 1864.
Burnett admitted his lack of perseverance: “I cannot
well fi nd time for the prosecution of discovery, and
for pretty specimen making, and as soon as I see un-
mistakable indications of what are the real capabilities
of any process, I am generally off to something else.”
His priority was challenged in 1858 by Abel Niépce de
Saint-Victor publishing identical uranium processes.
Burnett showed his “Experiments in Printing” at the
London International Exhibitions in 1859 and 1862,
and was commmended with an Honourable Mention,
but none of his prints is known to have survived. He
died a bachelor in Aberdeenshire in 1907.
Mike Ware
See Also: Positives: Minor Processes; and Light-
Sensitive Chemicals; Photograms of the Year (1888–
1961); and Platinum Print.
Further Reading
Burnett, C.J. “On the application of Uranium and other matters
to Photography” in Photographic Notes, 2, 1857, 97–101,
160–4, 181–4, 345–6.
Burnett, C.J. “On the production of direct positives – on printing
by the salts of the uranic and ferric oxides, with observations
climetic and chemical” in The Liverpool and Manchester
Photographic Journal, 1859, 99–101, 111–112, 127–129,
155-–157.
The Photographic Journal (Liverpool), 1859, 181; 1860, 55–6,
134–5.
“Description of Mr. Burnett’s Pictures in the Photographic
Exhibition, Suffolk Street” in Journal of the Photographic
Society, 1859, 182–3.
Ware, Mike. Gold in Photography: the history and art of chryso-
type, Abergavenny: ffotoffi lm publishing, (2006).
BURTON, ALFRED (1834–1914) AND
WALTER (1836–1880)
English photographers and studio owners
Alfred Henry Burton born 1834 and Walter John Bur-
ton born 1836 were the eldest children of John Burton
and Martha Heal. John Burton who started as a printer,
bookbinder and bookseller opened a photography studio
in Leicester in 1858 and his four sons trained in the busi-
ness. Alfred went to New Zealand in 1856 and worked
as a printer in Auckland then Melbourne, Australia be-
fore returning home in 1862 to manage the Nottingham
branch of John Burton & Sons. Walter immigrated to
Dunedin, New Zealand in 1866, where he set up a studio
in Princes St. In 1868 he was joined by Alfred. The Bur-
ton Brothers plied a trade in portrait photography which
was mostly done by Walter while Alfred travelled, taking
landscape views including panoramas. Walter left the
partnership in 1876 and travelled to Europe, returning
to Dunedin in 1878 with new equipment and he traded
as the Royal Gallery of Photography in George St. His
life was cut short when he committed suicide by cyanide
poisoning on 10 May 1880. Alfred was joined by his
brother John William in 1877 who opened an Australian
branch of Burton Brothers in Dean St, Albury in 1880.
Alfred formed a partnership with Thomas Mintaro Muir
in 1882, and they produced some of the best landscape
work in New Zealand, some on 18" x 20" plates, as well
as studies of the Maoris. Losing an arm due to gunshot
wound in 1890 Alfred passed work over to employee
George Moodie who joined Thomas Muir in the fi rm
Muir and Moodie when Alfred Burton retired in 1898.
The Albury studio had closed in 1895. Alfred Burton
died 2 February 1914 in Dunedin.
Marcel SafierBURTON, WILLIAM KINNINMOND
(1856–1899)
English engineer and amateur photographer
Burton was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Colle-
giate School. Despite coming from a family of lawyers,
Burton decided to pursue a career in engineering and,
in 1873, apprenticed for fi ve years to a local fi rm of
engineers—there being no engineering degree course in
those days. He progressed to the post of resident engi-
neer of the London Sanitary Protection Association and
was offered, in 1887, the post of Professor of Sanitary
Engineering at Tokyo Imperial University. Amongst
many engineering achievements, Burton is credited with
having designed the water supply systems for most of
Japan and Taiwan’s major cities.
Prior to going to Japan, Burton had become a keen
amateur photographer and a noted expert and writer
in the field. In Japan he formed relationships with
Japanese photographers such as Ogawa Kazumasa and
Kajima Seibei, and was instrumental in introducing the
country to many new photography techniques. In 1889
he founded the Nihon Shashin Kyokai [Photographic
Society of Japan], and in 1893 organized Japan’s fi rst
international photographic exhibition. He immersed
himself in Japanese society and became one of the fi rst
Westerners to marry a Japanese. If Burton had not gone to
Japan, arguably photography in that country would have
developed at a slower pace. He died in Japan in 1899.
Terry BennettBUSCH, EMIL (1820–1888)
German photographer, merchant, and mechanic
Emil Busch was born August 6, 1820, in Berlin as the
grandson of Johann Heinrich August Duncker who had