HARRY CHARLESTON
Early Photographer of NEWCASTLE, NSW

This site was created 28 February 2005 and was last updated 1 November 2005



 

 

ADDRESS OF OPERATION DATES ACTIVE NOTES incl. types of photographs produced
Harry Charleston
Newcastle
Charleston - Elite Studios
58 Hunter St, Newcastle		  
1892
 
1894-1921		 cabinet photos
A. H. Charleston
165 Hunter St, Newcastle
Charleston's
Cessnock
Peter Pan Studio
313 George St, Sydney
142b King St, Sydney
1921-1926
 
1926-1928
 
1933-1936
1941-1946		  

Harry Charleston learnt photography as a teenager in Cornwall. His father John was a blacksmith in St. Erth. He emigrated to Australia probably in the late 1880s or early 1890s and set up a photography business in Newcastle in 1892 that became one of the town's largest studio concerns. The studio was eventually managed by A. T. Craven and was taken over by Harry's son Allen in 1921. Allen Charleston moved the business to Cessnock in 1926 and later opened Peter Pan Studio in George St, Sydney.

Bibliography:
Alan Davies and Peter Stanbury, "The Mechanical Eye in Australia", OUP, Sydney, 1988.
Sandy Barrie, "Australians Behind the Camera, Directory of Early Australian Photographers 1841-1945", Sandie Barrie, Booval, Queensland, 2002.
Family History:

1. JOHN CHARLESTO(W)N m. 12 Apr 1817, Cornwall, ALICE MURLEY
     Children:
     i ELIZABETH CHARLESTON bap. 18 Dec 1817, St. Erth, Cornwall.
    2.ii JOHN CHARLESTON bap. 15 Dec 1820, St. Erth, Cornwall.
     iii MARY ANN MURLEY CHARLESTON bap. 20 Mar 1825, Gwinear, Cornwall.
    iv JAMES CHARLESTON b.c. 1827, Cornwall.
    v WILLIAM CHARLESTON b.c. 1831, Cornwall.

 Second Generation

 2. JOHN CHARLESTON bap. 15 Dec 1820, St. Erth, Cornwall, m. ELIZABETH b.c. 1823, St. Erth, Cornwall.
     Children:  
    i WILLIAM JOHN CHARLESTON b. 26 Oct 1845, bap. 21 Dec 1845, St. Erth, Cornwall.
    ii SARAH JANE CHARLESTON b. 21 Dec 1846, bap. 3 Jan 1847, St. Erth, Cornwall.
    iii DAVID MORLEY CHARLESTON b. 27 May 1848, bap. 25 Jun 1848, St. Erth, Cornwall, d. 30 Jun 1934. Federal Senator South Australia. from 1901-1903. General Secretary Farmers and Producers Political Union..
    iv ELIZABETH ANN CHARLESTON b. 4 Aug 1849, bap. 31 Aug 1849, St. Erth, Cornwall.
    v JOHN KEMPE CHARLESTON b. 9 Mar 1851, bap. 9 Apr 1851, St. Erth, Cornwall.
    vi PRUDENCE CHARLESTON b. 1854, St. Agnes, Cornwall.
    vii MARY CHARLESTON bap. 16 Jan 1859, St. Just in Penwith, Cornwall.
    viii THOMAS WILLIAMS CHARLESTON bap. 27 Feb 1861, St. Just in Penwith, Cornwall.
    ix JAMES CHARLESTON b. 13 May 1862, bap. 29 May 1862, St. Erth, Cornwall, d. 20 May 1863.
    3.x HENRY (HARRY) CHARLESTON b. 1 Nov 1863, bap. 28 Feb 1864, St. Erth, Cornwall.
    4.xi ANNIE CHARLESTON b. 9 May 1866, bap. 21 Sep 1866, St. Erth, Cornwall.

Third Generation

3. HENRY (HARRY) CHARLESTON b. 1 Nov 1863, bap. 28 Feb 1864, St. Erth, Cornwall, d. 1930, St. Peters, NSW, m. JENNIE d. 1937, (daur. of WILLIAM & JANE).
     Children:
    i ALLEN H. CHARLESTON b. 1894, Newcastle, NSW, m. 1920, Sydney, NSW, MARGUERITE D. MANSFIELD.
    ii JEAN E. CHARLESTON b. 1897, Newcastle, NSW.
    iii DOROTHY CHARLESTON b. 1898, Newcastle, NSW.
    iv FLORENCE CHARLESTON b. 1901, Newcastle, NSW.
    v EDMEE H. H. CHARLESTON b. 1904, Newcastle, NSW.

4. ANNIE CHARLESTON b. 9 May 1866, bap. 21 Sep 1866, St. Erth, Cornwall, d. 1934, Newcastle, NSW, m. 12 Nov 1889, St. Erth, Cornwall, ARTHUR GONINAN b. 22 Apr 1836, St. Just, Cornwall (son of WILLIAM & JANE GONINAN). Alfred founded the engineering firm A. Goninan & Co in Newcastle, NSW. His brother, Ralph, joined him in 1901 after returning from the goldfields in New Guinea (see http://www.lanner.fsnet.co.uk/alfred.htm)
    Children:
    i NELLIE A. GONINAN b. 1897, Hill End, NSW.
    ii MARY K. GONINAN b. 1902, Wickham, NSW.
    iii EDMEE V. C. GONINAN b. 1905, Wickham, NSW.
    iv ALFRED GONINAN b. 1900, Wickham, NSW.

1841 Census of St. Erth, Cornwall
Trelissick
Jno Charlestown,45,Ag Lab,Born in county
Allice Charlestown,50,Born in county
John Charlestown,20,Ag Labourer,Born in county
Mary Ann Charlestown,15, Born in county
James Charlestown,13, Born in county
William Charlestown,10, Born in county
Elizabeth Pearce,1, Born in county

Information sourced from the IGI, NSW Birth, Death and Marriages indexes and the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 censuses of Cornwall.

Anyone with further information about Harry Charleston, his photography or his family is welcome to contact me.

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This site  is  maintained by Marcel Safier, Photographic Historian & collector © 2005.
P.O. Box 539, Annerley QLD 4103, Australia; Ph: 07-3847 1593; E-mail: [email protected]
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