Melvin Vaniman (1866-1912)
American Melvin Vaniman arrived in New Zealand from San
Francisco on 4 February 1902 bringing with him large-format panoramic cameras
of his own design and construction.
Originally a musician and opera singer, Vaniman stayed on
in Honolulu to become a professional photographer when the opera company of
which he was a member self-destructed while on tour in Hawaii. Throwing himself
into his new profession, he developed refinements in panoramic camera design
and experimented in artificial vantage points for his equipment. His work caught
the attention of an American steamship company, and in 1901 he was engaged to
photograph tourist destinations in New Zealand and Australia.
While in Christchurch Vaniman constructed a 32 metre tall
pole to photograph the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company works. In Auckland, he
clambered to the top of a ship’s mast to secure a view of the waterfront.
Moving on to Sydney, he realised that if he was to capture a satisfactory view
of the harbour, masts and poles or scaffolding would be inadequate. He therefore
imported a purpose-made balloon to carry his camera aloft.
Vaniman’s aerial success encouraged him to travel to
Europe, but his plans to photograph its principal cities from tethered balloons
were thwarted by unfavourable atmospheric conditions. Undaunted, he teamed up
with US newspaper proprietor Walter Wellman who employed Vaniman’s ballooning
expertise in two failed attempts to reach the North Pole by airship in 1907 and
1909. After Peary’s conquest of the Pole in 1909, the pair switched their attention
to the Atlantic, setting new world records for balloon travel in 1910. On 2
July 1912, during a second attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean, airship Akron exploded killing its skipper
Vaniman, his brother Calvin, and three others.
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One
of the last photographs of Melvin Vaniman (centre) before his tragic death in
the airship Akron. (Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries.
AWNS-19120815-12-4)
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