Townsend Duryea, Adelaide's pioneer portrait photographer, began visiting the Yorke Peninsula in 1873. In October 1875 he purchased the photographic business of Stephen Nixon in Ryan Street, Moonta. Although he advertised in 1881 that he was "positively giving up business in Moonta," (Yorke's Peninsula advertiser, 14 January 1881, p. 2) it seems the business was instead taken over by his son Edwin. In 1884 Edwin advertised himself as "Friend Duryea the far famed, famous, fotofixer and finder ... will favor you with the finest fotographs of every kind ..." (Yorkes Peninsula advertiser, 15 August 1884, p. 2)

By 1885 he was advertising as having 14,000 negatives in stock, which could be printed in either cabinet or the smaller carte des visite size. (Wallaroo times, 4 July 1885, p. 3) Edwin married a local girl, Eleanor Purling, in 1887 and clearly had decided to stay on the Peninsula. In 1887 large advertisements proclaimed the arrival of the 'midget' photograph. (Yorkes Peninsula advertiser, 20 May 1887, p. 2) By 1899 he had closed the Moonta shop and moved to Kadina. About a year later he moved to Wallaroo, where he remained until moving to Adelaide in 1915. Edwin Duryea died at Enfield in 1945.