William Harding

At that time he was a coachbuilder. They were to have eight children. William and Annie Harding arrived in New Zealand in 1855. Two brothers had already emigrated – John in 1842 and Thomas in 1848. The three brothers, and Annie, were followers of Emanuel Swedenborg, and strong supporters of the Total Abstinence Society. William and Annie settled in Wanganui, where William set up briefly as a cabinet-maker but in 1856 established a photographic studio. He practised photography until 1889. He had a collection of almost 6,500 glass-plate negatives which were nearly dumped by the studio’s new owner. Harding's work was rescued by a relative of his and the Whanganui Museum. In 1948, it was bought by the Alexander Turnbull Library, a division of the National Library of New Zealand located in Wellington. Harding died on 13 May 1899, aged 72, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

• Name — William Harding • Birth Name — William James Harding • Born — 19 September 1826 • Birthplace — Southampton, Hampshire, England • Died — 13 May 1899 • Place of death — Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Occupation — Photographer

• Illustration — John Ballance, photographed by Harding circa 1870 • Illustration — The John Duthie ironmongers in Whanganui, photographed in the 1870s • Illustration — Porourangi meeting house at Waiomatatini, photographed by Harding circa 1888 • Illustration — Walter Edward Gudgeon, photographed by Harding circa 1870