James Chinn was a local artist. Among other work, he produced these steroscopic slides, called stereoviews. They were viewed using a device called a stereoscope, producing an optical illusion giving the impression of depth in the resulting vision.

In more detail:
James Chinn joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry at age 20, came to New Zealand on the 'Carnatic' in 1875. He was a member of the Marlborough A & P Association with a stong interest in hoticultural matters. He became the manager of the Wairau Brewery in1898. He is buried at the Omaka Cemetery. (Sources not named but include newspaper articles and the Cyclopeadia of New Zealand: Nelson and Marlborough, 1906, page 341.)

For Residential address: Photographer and private residence of Grove Road, Blenheim [source: Post Office Directory 1917]. Two Daines families (one is Walter Fox Daines, son of Anne Chinn formerly Daines) lived next door and the Wairau Brewery was in Dodson Street.

Marriage information from New Zealand Marriages 1836-1956, New Zealand Society of Genealogists CD Rom, version 2, 2006. More on the widow Anne Daines, mother of Walter Fox Daines, can be found in Archives VF under James Chinn. The Chinns were married at the home of Mrs. Anne Daines in Grove Road. She was a dressmaker and aged 44 years. James Chinn was aged 38 years.

Full name from New Zealand Electoral Roll 1893, New Zealand Society of Genealogists CD Rom, 2004. Photographer James Beaily Chinn of Grove Road, Blenheim. But he married as James Chinn, has two death records one as James and the other as James Benjamin Chinn, but in all his photography he is known simply as James Chinn, so that is the name we are using (Jenny Pierson, 3 May 2013).

Death information for both of them from NZSG Index version 5, New Zealand Society of Genealogists CD Rom, 2008. Anne Chinn's death and obituary is also recorded in Archives scrapbook 14 on page 18.

Click on 'Start Exhibit' above to begin a guided tour, or click on an image to the left to go directly to that record, or click on 'Table of Contents' above for a list of all records in the exhibit.