Real Gold: Treasures of Auckland City Libraries
12 November 2007 - 29 February 2008
The exhibition Real Gold: Treasures of Auckland City Libraries opened on the second floor of Central City Library on Monday 12 November. Items for this free exhibition are selected from thousands of rare, valuable and wonderful items cared for by the Special Collections unit at Auckland City Libraries.
While the exhibition has ended, the individual items it featured continue to be available for members of the public to view - as are the majority of items held by Special Collections. To view an item, just ask at Special Collections reception on the second floor at Central City Library.
The virtual exhibition created for the exhibition also continues to be available online.
Among the treasures featured are a First Folio of Shakespeare, a six-page catechism which is the first work printed in New Zealand, medieval illuminated manuscripts, maps and sketches of early Auckland, avant-garde private press productions, Māori language manuscripts, Isaac Newton's Optiks, letters from Florence Nightingale to Sir George Grey, the records of Limbs Dance Company and Mercury Theatre.
At the heart of the exhibition are many hundreds of items donated by Sir George Grey in 1887, shortly after the library was founded.
Limited copies of the beautifully illustrated book published alongside the exhibition are available. Also titled Real Gold: Treasures of Auckland City Libraries, (by Iain Sharp with photographs by Haruhiko Sameshima), they may be purchased from Special Collections at Central City Library or the online shop for $49.99.
Point of View: Scenic NZ by F.G. Radcliffe
1 May - 30 June 2007
An exhibition of photographs printed from our extensive collection of F.G. Radcliffe negatives showing New Zealand as it was almost 100 years ago.
Auckland City Libraries holds a collection of over 2000 glass plate negatives showing scenic views of New Zealand from Northland to Stewart Island. The photographs show small rural towns and large cities, street scenes, gardens, buildings and beaches from the early part of the 20th Century. The provenance of this collection is unknown though it is assumed that they were used for the production of postcards. It was once believed the collection was the file of the Tourist Postcard Company, but this has since been disputed.
Most of the negatives in the collection were taken by Frederick George Radcliffe. Born in Liverpool in 1863, Radcliffe ventured to New Zealand in the 1890s. He began his life in New Zealand as a farmer, but his interest soon turned to photography. He became well regarded as a scenic photographer and spent 20 years of his life touring the country taking photographs. From 1909, with the help of his wife and one of his daughters, he operated a postcard business from his home in Whangarei. F. G. Radcliffe died in 1923.
This exhibition shows a sample of photographs printed from this extensive collection allowing us to view New Zealand as it was almost 100 years ago.
For further biographical information about F.G Radcliffe see: Ringer, Mim. 'Radcliffe, Frederick George 1863 - 1923'. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 7 April 2006.
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Nobby Clark's Auckland
10 February - 22 April 2007
Nobby Clark arrived from London in 1952 to an Auckland that was “cosy and intimate”. He is known for his many drawings of Auckland, capturing the places, characters, humour and atmosphere of Auckland in the 1980s. Less well known are his paintings, book illustrations and work for Auckland’s advertising agencies.
The exhibition features a wide range of his work, on loan from the artist and curated by his son Simon Clark.
View the contents of the exhibition in the
exhibition list.
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Playing the game: an exhibition of two halves
11 October 2006 - 31 January 2007
Sport can arouse strong feelings, which are often quickly forgotten by the next game or the next season. On the other hand some names and stories persist, as people remember particular sporting achievements and unexpected successes.
The Library’s heritage collections contain records of both local and international sport, and this exhibition offers a view of a wide variety of both organised and recreational sporting activities from the Library's New Zealand and international heritage collections. It does not pretend to be a history of sport, nor to cover all the sports that people enjoy, but rather to highlight some particular moments which these collections can reveal.
Some of New Zealand's favourite sporting heroes, such as Peter Snell and Bob Charles, are featured, but there are also less well known people, such as the wrestler from the 1930s called Count Varga.
Whether it is cycling or rugby, swimming or fishing, these are glimpses of people enjoying their chosen sport.
View the contents of the exhibition in the exhibition list.
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Auckland On-Stage: something for everyone
24 June - 1 October 2006
Take a slice each of melodrama, vaudeville, comedy and tragedy, traditional, contemporary, musical, opera and dance, then throw in touring shows such as the Rolling Stones. Sound tasty? Auckland On-Stage presents ‘something for everyone’.
Treasures on show are from Auckland City Libraries' extensive performing arts archives, held in Special Collections on the Heritage floor.
Diverse in content, the exhibition includes early Auckland play bills printed on fragile silk, photographs of productions, programmes such as Colin McCahon’s design for Sargeson’s play Cradle and the Egg and Maurice Shadbolt’s original script for A Tale of Chunuk Bair. There is even the script for the first episode of Shortland Street and from the amazing Phil Warren Archive, a list of drinks requested back stage by the Rolling Stones during their 1973 Western Springs performance.
Mercury, Auckland's longest running professional theatre is featured with fabulous images of productions as well as examples of working papers. Also highlighted are Central Theatre, Theatre Corporate, Watershed Theatre, Perkel Opera Company, Limbs Dance Company, Douglas Wright and Benny Levin. The list is long and the faces familiar.
The richness of the archive and the many stories waiting to be told tantalise and inspire further research.
View the contents of the exhibition in the
exhibition list.
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Volcanoes: the fire beneath our feet
6 March - 10 June 2006
Much of New Zealand has been built up by volcanic forces at work beneath the surface of the earth. Auckland itself is on top of a volcanic field, much of which has disappeared beneath roads and suburbs. This exhibition uses material from Special Collections to show those forces at work both in New Zealand, with events such as the eruption of Mount Tarawera, and overseas in places like Italy and Indonesia. It also shows how volcanoes shape the way we live today.
View the contents of the exhibition in the exhibition list.
View exhibition list in PDF (69kb)
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