Sophia Hoare (also known as ''Mrs S. Hoare'', ''Madame S. Hoare'', ''Suzanne Hoare'', ''Susan Hoare''), born Johnson, was a 19th-century British photographer operating in

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

. She married Charles Burton Hoare, June 1853 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. They lived in

Hulme Hulme () is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England, immediately south of Manchester city centre. It has a significant industrial heritage. Historically in Lancashire, the name Hulme is derived from ...

outside Manchester and got three daughters, Elizabeth, Louisa, and Octavia. In March 1863 they traveled with the Telegraph ship from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Some time in the next few years, Charles, together with a certain Wooster, established a photo firm under the name of Hoare & Wooster. Wooster had a studio, "The Royal Photographic Rooms" which lay in the corner of Vulcan Lane and Queen Street. The partnership ended in 1866 and Charles started a firm in his own name, also on Vulcan Street.

To Tahiti

The family eventually moved on to Tahiti, but it is unclear whether it was the whole family from start or if only Charles went first. Clearly, Charles was in Tahiti in February 1868. He then announced in Le Messager de Tahiti about his studio at College Street,

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...

, and offered

cartes de visite The ''carte de visite'' (, English: 'visiting card', abbr. 'CdV', pl. ''cartes de visite'') was a format of small photograph which was patented in Paris by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Doder ...

. In June 1868, he traveled around the islands and visited îles Sous-le-Vent (Leeward Islands), probably taking some of the first pictures of the

Makatea Makatea, or Mangaia-te-vai-tamae, is a raised coral atoll in the northwestern part of the Tuamotus, which is a part of the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia. It is located southwest from Rangiroa to the west of the Palliser Islan ...

atoll in the Tuamotos. He was back in Papeete in September. He was mentioned several times in the press during 1872-1876. His pictures of

Queen Pomare IV Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and her

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

(future Pomare V) are likely from this time. There are no known sources about him after 1876. His wife Sophia took over the business sometime after 1876. She is referred to as

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

in 1879. Sophia drove Atelier Hoare for 30 years and photographed the royal family, among other things.

To San Francisco

At the 1889 Exposition Universelle in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

she was awarded a medal. Before 1889, she signed her pictures with "Mrs S. Hoare" and after this year she changed to "Madame S. Hoare". At the end of the 19th century Sophia had her studio on Rue de la Petite-Pologne in Papeete, but in May 1904, she and her daughter left Tahiti and boarded the SS Mariposa to San Francisco. Sophia died sometime between 1910 and 1920.

Sophia or Susan?

In the literature and in various databases it is possible to find both Sophia or Susan (or Suzanne). Keith Giles uses Sophia in his article from 2011 while Jean-Yves Tréhin uses Susan in his 2003 article.

Photos by Hoare

File:Hellen Bambridge.jpg, Hellen Bambridge (1852–1918), daughter of Thomas Bambridge, a British settler, and Maraea O'Connor. Photo: Hoare. File:Young man with exotic fruit, ca. 1870.jpg, Young man with exotic fruit. Photo: Hoare. File:Tepano, photograph by Madame Hoare.jpg, Portrait of Tepano from the

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

, 1870s. Photo: Hoare. File:Tattooed native of the Marquesas Islands (original).jpg, Tattooed native of the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

. Photo: S. Hoare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoare, Sophia English women photographers 19th-century English photographers Year of birth missing Year of death missing Photographers from Manchester British emigrants to French Polynesia History of Tahiti 19th-century British women photographers 19th-century English women