Frederick Nelson Jones (F N Jones) (4 May 1881 – 29 August 1962) was a New Zealand saddler, photographer, amusement park owner and inventor. Jones was most well known for his journalistic photographs, and he recorded important Nelson civic events from the early 1900s to 1935. He is also known as the creator of the popular attraction Pixietown, or Pixie Town, which toured internationally.

Early life

Jones was born on 4 May 1881. His father, also named Frederick Nelson Jones, was a saddler. His mother's name was Emeline Sophia Jones. Once Jones had finished school he worked for his father as a saddler. In 1904, he sold 1, 500 prints from the three glass plate negatives he took of the burning of Nelson College. After this, his photography business flourished and he was able to buy land and start a studio. Jones was nicknamed "Pompy" and he was often seen on a three-legged ladder used to take photographs from above the crowds.

Pixietown

In 1921 Jones retired from photography to focus on his other endeavours such as his Magic Cave and Pixie Town creations. The Magic Cave and Pixietown consisted of a number of elaborate scenes with automated "pixies". The pixies were handcarved from wood, and animated through a series of hidden belts and pulleys. The scenes were displayed first in 1933, and were so popular they were soon touring in New Zealand and overseas and displayed at a number of department stores, including the

DIC DIC may refer to: Biology and chemistry * Diisopropylcarbodiimide ''N'','-Diisopropylcarbodiimide is a carbodiimide used in peptide synthesis. As a liquid, it is easier to handle than the commonly used Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, ''N'','-dicyclo ...

in Dunedin. When Pixietown visited Christchurch for the first time in 1949 for the New Zealand Industries Fair, nearly 28,000 people viewed it. At that time the display consisted of five scenes, including a mathematics schoolroom, a donkey causing a traffic jam, a music box and an organ-player, a boat-yard with a submarine, and a domestic wash-day. Each scene had approximately 100 pixie figures. The DIC acquired some scenes when the cost of touring made Pixietown uneconomic, and when the DIC closed in 1991 some of the displays were bought by the Otago Settlers Association. Since 2004 they have been displayed annually at

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum The Toitū Otago Settlers Museum is a regional history museum in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its brief covers the territory of the old Otago Province, that is, New Zealand from the Waitaki River south, though its main focus is the city of Dunedin. It ...

at Christmas time.

Personal life

In 1910 Jones married Ivy Florence Dougan. The two bore no children but opened an amusement park in Haven Road called Coney Park in 1921.

Death

Jones died on 29 August 1962 at age 76. Approximately 5,000 photographic negatives are held by the

Nelson Provincial Museum The Nelson Provincial Museum, ''Pupuri Taonga O Te Tai Ao'' is a regional museum in the city of Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson, New Zealand. The museum showcases the Nelson and Tasman regions' history, from geological origins to the stories of indiv ...

and a further 5,000 to 8,000 images are held at the

Alexander Turnbull Library The National Library of New Zealand () is charged with the obligation to "enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand and its interchanges with other nations" (National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga) Act 2003). Under the ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. Jones is buried in the

Wakapuaka Cemetery Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brooklands, Nelson, New Zealand. "Wakapuaka" is Māori for "heaps of aka leaves". Location Wakapuaka Cemetery is located at the southern end of Atawhai Drive in Nelson. The cemetery is located on a h ...

, Nelson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Freddy 1881 births 1962 deaths New Zealand photographers People from Nelson, New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand inventors Burials at Wakapuaka Cemetery