Maull & Fox photographers (English; active 1879ff.)
Portrait of Edward Jones Brewster
Carbon print, 60 x 45 cm (mounted and framed)
Presented by his widow 1901
State Library of Victoria (H5419)
Brewster (c.1812-98) completed his law studies in Dublin in 1835, and was one of the first six barristers admitted to the Port Phillip bar in 1854 (with Redmond Barry and others). He was also one of the members for the Port Phillip district in the New South Wales Legislative Council (1846-48), prior to the official declaration of Victoria as a separate colony. Later, after his return to England, he was ordained (1853) and served as the vicar of several parishes. He apparently died in Cape Town en route to Australia for a return visit.
Henry Maull (1829-1914) and John Fox (1832-1907) ran a successful photographic business in London from 1879-85, and the business was then continued under the same name by others. Maull, who became famous for his photographic portraits of celebrities of the day, worked professionally from 1856 onwards.
Refs.
AR 1901, p.23 (noting the donation); NGV 1905, p.153: V.Buvelot Gallery, south wall, no.19)
The SLV catalogue provides further details but no reproduction and dates the photo to c.1865-71, which seems too early, given the available documentation regarding the photographers. However, I have yet to see the work
For Brewster (not listed in ADB), see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Brewster (citing biographical details contained in Table Talk, Melbourne, 17 June 1898: see http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/145861609). For Maull (and Fox), see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Maull (accessed 5 June 2020)