Enos Pegler
Enos Pegler | |
|---|---|
Pegler in the 1890s, with a lantern slide projector and camera | |
| Born | 1869 King's Stanley, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | (aged 69) Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Spouse |
Eliza Emily Oldham (m. 1892) |
Enos Silvanus Abijah Pegler (1869 – 13 October 1938) was an early New Zealand photographer who documented New Zealand during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1]
Biography
Pegler was born in King's Stanley, Gloucestershire, England, in 1869 to mother Eliza Pegler (née Sealey) and father James William Pegler, a shoemaker.[2][3][4] In 1875, he and his family (including sisters Julia Flatt and Emily Joeelin) emigrated to New Zealand, arriving on the Baron Aberdare on 19 March.[5][3][6] The family resided in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga,[7] where Pegler ran a photographic studio from 1894 to 1901.[1][8]
Pegler's photography was published in the Auckland Weekly News and he photographed notable New Zealand colonial figures, including Elizabeth Yates, the first female mayor in the British Empire.[9] His film Lady Mayor depicts Yates and is the second-oldest New Zealand film in the collection of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.[9] He also documented the tangihanga (funeral rites) of the second Māori monarch, Tāwhiao at Parawera in 1894.[10]
Pegler married Eliza Emily Oldham on 15 March 1892 at the Wesleyan Church in Tuakau.[11] The couple had four daughters and three sons.[8]
In 1901, Pegler moved to Palmerston North, where he was manager of the Theatre Royal, and established a photographic studio, also importing and selling photographic supplies and giving free photography lessons.[1][12][13] In Palmerston North, Pegler served as secretary of the Manawatu Cricket Association, and was instrumental in securing a match there between Manawatu and Lord Hawke's team that toured New Zealand in 1902–1903.[8][14][15]
Pegler returned to Auckland in 1907, settling in Papatoetoe.[8] He was a prominent figure is expanding the Auckland suburban railway service from Penrose to Papatoetoe.[8] He widened his business concerns, with a real estate office and farm at Manurewa, and opened a studio at 91 Karangahape Road in Auckland.[8][16] When the Manurewa Town Board was established in 1916, Pegler was elected as a member on a "progressive" ticket, although he had opposed the board's creation.[17] In 1918, he unsuccessfully stood for election to the Manukau County Council.[18]
Pegler was active in the sport of lawn bowls.[8] In 1921, the Manurewa Town Board granted Pegler nine months' leave, and he travelled to Britain as a member of the New Zealand bowls team.[8][19][20]
After a period of failing health, Pegler retired and he died at his home in the Auckland suburb of Epsom on 13 October 1938, at the age of 69.[8][21] His wife died in 1953.[22] They were both buried at Purewa Cemetery in Meadowbank.[22][23]
Photographic legacy
Pegler's photographic work is part of collections at Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa, Auckland War Memorial Museum, National Library of New Zealand and Auckland Libraries.[1][3][4][24][25] His work was displayed as part of the 2024 exhibition, A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa.[26]
References
- ^ a b c d "Pegler, Enos Silvanus Abijah, 1869-1938". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "1871 England Census, class RG10, piece 2636, folio 74, page 16, GSU roll 835323". Kew: The National Archives – via Ancestry.com.
- ^ a b c "Pegler, Enos Silvenus". Auckland Libraries. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Enos Pegler". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "Deaths". Auckland Star. Vol. 65, no. 146. 22 June 1934 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "The Baron Aberdare". Auckland Star. Vol. 11, no. 1593. 20 March 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Obituary". Auckland Star. Vol. 65, no. 147. 23 June 1934. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Obituary". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 75, no. 23174. 21 October 1938. Retrieved 6 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ a b "Meet the First Lady Mayor". www.ngataonga.org.nz. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "Maoris practising a haka for a king's tangi: Pegler photo". New Zealand Mail. No. 1784. 16 May 1906. Retrieved 6 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Marriages". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 29., no. 8867. 2 May 1892. Retrieved 5 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Advertisements". Manawatu Times. Vol. 26, no. 7233. 5 July 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Advertisements". Bush Advocate. Vol. 14, no. 238. 9 January 1903. p. 4. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Cricket". Manawatu Times. Vol. 27, no. 7551. 8 October 1902. p. 2. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Cricket". Feilding Star. Vol. 24, no. 157. 5 January 1903. p. 3. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Advertisements". Auckland Star. Vol. 92, no. 192. 14 August 1911. Retrieved 5 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Manurewa: town board election". Pukekohe & Waiuku Times. Vol. 5, no. 171. 5 May 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Manukau County Council". Pukekohe & Waiuku Times. Vol. 7, no. 433. 10 December 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Leave of absence". Pukekohe & Waiuku Times. Vol. 9, no. 602. 25 January 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Mr. E. Pegler honoured". Franklin Times. Vol. 9, no. 606. 11 February 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ "Deaths". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. 75, no. 23168. 14 October 1938. p. 1. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via PapersPast.
- ^ a b "Eliza Emily Pegler". Purewa. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "Enos Silvanus Abijah Pegler". Purewa. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "Enos Silvenus Pegler". Te Papa. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Enos Pegler". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "NZ History brought to life in photographs". The New Zealand Herald. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.