Muriel Gwendoline de BOURBEL [21644]

  General Notes:

Images courtesy of Auckland Library NZ

  Research Notes:

Keith Giles Photograph Librarian of Auckland Library 30 Apr 2015
I think there's a strong possibility that this is Muriel Gwendoline de Bourbel.
Unfortunately Schmidt's daybooks for 1909 haven't survived, so it's impossible to say how many photographs were taken in one sitting. It's possible they all were; the change in costume could indicate more than one sitting, but like all good studios, Schmidt's would have incorporated changing rooms for the use of customers. Schmidt's negative registers show that negative 57161 was entered in his ledger in May 1909, 56476 in July 1909, 57845 in November 1909 and 58670 in February 1910. It wasn't unusual for the negative register to be written up months or even years after a sitting - it was probably one of those jobs that was done when there was a spare moment - so I suspect these were all taken at the same time, probably before May 1909 - which would tie in with your 21st birthday theory and seem to confirm the identification as Muriel Gwendoline. I did have a quick look at other de Bourbel children and see there is a Constance Marian De Bourbel married in 1900, who could be a sister, but this seems an unlikely identification as each negative is etched with the name "Miss de Bourbell".

  Other Records

1. Muriel Gwendoline de Bourbel: Photographs by J H Schmidt, 1909, Auckland, N.Z. 3/4 portrait of Miss de Bourbell seated, wearing a mid-coloured tailored suit with two rows of light coloured buttons on jacket, a light coloured scarf at neck, a brooch on scarf and a dark coloured hat.
Other poses by Muriel Bourbel.
Images Courtesy Auckland Library