Biographical / Historical
Sophia Hoare, née Johnson, (also known as Mrs. S. Hoare, Madame S. Hoare, Suzanne Hoare, or
Susan Hoare) immigrated from Manchester, England to Auckland, New Zealand with her husband,
Charles Burton Hoare and their three daughters in 1863. There Charles established a
photography studio called Hoare & Wooster; the partner named Wooster has yet to be
identified with certainty. By 1868 the Hoare family had moved on to Papeete, Tahiti, where
Charles again opened a studio. There is no record of him in Tahiti after 1876, and he may
have traveled to San Francisco, dying there or elsewhere in the United States around 1879.
Sophia took over the business and ran Atelier Hoare for over 30 years.
In 1889 Sophia exhibited her photographs at the Exposition Universelle de Paris where she
was awarded a bronze medal. Prior to the exhibition Sophia signed her photographs "Mrs. S.
Hoare," changing her imprint to "Madame S. Hoare" after 1889. In addition to increasing her
exposure in general, the exposition was important to Hoare in that Paul Gaugauin would
likely have encountered her photographs there. Gauguin would certainly have become
personally acquainted with Sophia once he arrived in Papeete in 1891. That he knew her work
is evidenced by the inclusion of one of her photographs of King Pōmare V in his original
draft of Noa Noa. Sophia remained in Papette until 1904 when
she and her daughter Elizabeth joined her other daughters Louisa and Octavia in San
Francisco. Sophia died sometime between 1910 and 1920. The final disposition of Atelier
Hoare is unknown.
The French photographer, Marie-Charles Georges Henri Spitz, known as Charles Spitz or
Georges Spitz, was born in Marmoutier, Bas-Rhin, on September 22, 1857, and died in Brest,
Finistere, on January 9, 1894. He arrived in Tahiti in 1879 as a member of the French naval
infantry and was released from duty in 1880. He remained in Tahiti and opened a studio in
Papeete. His connection to the Hoare studio, if any, is unclear. After Spitz's death Frank
Homes married his widow and took over his studio, eventually passing it to Spitz's son
George (known as Loulou) who stamped his photographs "Spitz Curio Store."
Like Sophia Hoare, Spitz exhibited at the 1889 Exposition Universelle de Paris and also won
awards. Again, it is likely that Gauguin first became acquainted with Spitz's photography
through the exposition and likely encountered the photographer in Tahiti. While several of
Spitz's photographs have been attributed as sources for Gauguin's work, the connection
between Spitz's image of a figure drinking from a forest waterfall and Gauguin's various
versions of Pape Moe (1883-1894) is perhaps the closest.
Sources consulted:
Giles, Keith. "Charles Burton Hoare (1833-c1879), a Mancunian in Paradise,"
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd%5Cphotographers%5Cessays%5CHoare.pdf
Geaneant entry for Marie-Charles Georges Henri Spitz,
https://gw.geneanet.org/efrogier?lang=en&n=spitz&oc=0&p=marie+charles+georges+henri
Grob Gallery. "Gaugin, Tahiti and Photography."
https://grobgallery.com/exhibitions/17/overview/
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