The Auckland City Libraries photograph collection contains over a quarter of a million images of New Zealand (and of the Auckland Region in particular), dating from the 1840s to the present day. Major collections include:
'A' Negatives
Miscellaneous collection of negatives mainly taken from books, newspapers and magazines like the Weekly News.
Album Collection
Over a hundred albums on widely differing subjects make up the album collection. Portraits, scenery and albums on particular subjects such as cycling or aircraft are included. In 2002 the ASB Trust gave a grant to photograph and print images from the albums for addition to the Public Reference Files to increase access.
Auckland City Council
Photographs of Council activities including road works, drainage, hydatids testing, health inspection, staff and special occasions.
Auckland Tramping Club
800 photographs of tramping expeditions mostly on lantern slides.
Binns Collection
300 family photographs including many of the Binns home in Grey Lynn and the Waitakeres where the family often holidayed.
Buchanan Collection
Photographs of ships and yachts many in albums.
Fearnley Collection
Fearnley was an architect and photographed buildings and building details.
25,000 studio portraits taken between the late 1930s and the 1970s by Clifton Firth, including many prominent New Zealanders particularly those from literary and artistic circles. This collection also includes many advertising images ranging from concrete blocks to Milne and Choyce hats. Selected images from this collection can be viewed in the Heritage Images Online database.
Heritage Images Online Search
Three significant collections (Winkelmann, Firth, and Schmidt) have been catalogued and scanned for availability through Auckland City Libraries' website forming the Heritage Images Online database.
1990 Auckland Documentary Project
In 1990 the library sponsored a project to update its visual documentation of the city's growth. Five photographers photographed the city and its activities over a six month period and this wide ranging collection is the result. The photographers were Miles Hargest, Christopher Matthews, Paul McCredie, Stuart Page and Ans Westra.
Radcliffe Collection
Radcliffe was based in Whangarei but travelled widely throughout New Zealand taking photographs which were made into postcards. The library has a collection of over 2,300 of these New Zealand scenes. Many of these can be viewed on the Heritage Images Online database.
Richardson Collection
The story of the Richardson collection begins during World War One when the City Librarian John Barr gave a speech to the Auckland Camera Club. He spoke of the need for a photographic survey of Auckland, a task that was then undertaken by a member of the audience, James Douglas Richardson. Richardson took photographs from various points around the city , often the same scene over a period of years. He also photographed all our churches and schools as well as earlier photographs, drawings and sketches. A selection of these can be viewed on the Heritage Images Online database.
Schmidt Collection
26,000 studio portraits taken between 1900 and 1940 including a series of World War One soldiers. Selected images from this collection can be viewed in the Heritage Images Online database.
Titchener Collection
Given to the library by Paul Titchener, these glass plate negatives are mainly of boats and Bailey and Lowe boatbuilders.
Vaile Collection
1,500 photographs of Auckland and the Waikato area between 1903 and 1916 and mostly of family, friends and family homes.
Winkelmann Collection
Well known for his interest in and photography of yachting, Henry Winkelmann also made a documentary survey of Auckland covering 1900 - 1930 with excellent photographs from high points around the city and many streetscapes. Selected images from this collection can be viewed in the Heritage Images Online database.
Email us for more information about photographs in our collection. |
