Images by amateur New Zealand photographers.

Merry Christmas.

From an album of snapshoots c.1950.

Mathew A. Carver.

Mathew A. Carver.
6.12.1914 - 13.3.1988.

These are from 2 albums of photographs and like many an amateur there are snapshots of family events and gatherings. But there are also a number of low-light and night-time exposures that are interesting. These were taken during the 1930's in Wellington when he was working for Kodak. For a young man interested in photography working at Kodak would have been heaven-sent with access to the latest chemicals and cameras.

Frances remembers: "Dad worked for Kodak in Wellington before the war and experimented with time exposure night photos. I don't think he ever did it professionally, just a hobby. He moved up to Kerikeri in 1940 having bought an orchard the year before. Mum and Dad got married in August 1940 and lived in Kerikeri the rest of their lives."

Wellington Harbour.

Lambton Quay Shop Window.

[Probably Kodak at 292a.]

St. James Theatre, Courtenay Place, Wellington.

Service Station.

Taken from Taranaki St looking across to Wakefield St.

There is a service station still on this site today.

From nearly the same position, the camera has been turned to look up Taranaki St.

The building on Wakefield St corner is still standing and has been converted

into apartments.

R.J.Searle.

Roland James Searle.
1904-1985.

Searle's interest in photography began while a student at Wellington College, and continued when he left school to begin work as a bank clerk in Wellington. He would wander the streets during lunch, and in his spare time, with his folding Kodak. Whats evident, in my opinion from these shots, is that he had a very good eye, taking time with the focus, light, and composition. Becoming more serious about his photography he became a member of the Wellington Camera Club where his later work gained acceptance at International Photographic Salons. The selection here is from a collection of negatives from about 1925-35. This earlier work I find the most interesting, showing scenes of life around Wellington.
I have a separate blog for Searle and the full collection can be seen at Once Again Images.

Lambton Quay from Willis Street.

"Caught in the Rain", Courtenay Place.

"Passing Storm".

Pigeon Park.

Douglas A. Walker.

Douglas A. Walker.

9.12.1911 - 13.3.1984.

A small collection of negatives by a motor-racing fan, dating from 1951 to 1962.

I have no other information about photographer.

Jack Tucker's Tucker-Ford at Mairehau, 1951.

The chequered flag, Mairehau, 1953.

The winners, 9th Lady Wigram Trophy, 1960.

How very relaxed and casual it was, compared with today.

More of Douglas's photos can be seen on Once Again Images.

Elliott.

The Elliott Family.

I know very little about the Elliott's only that they appear to have resided in New Lynn, Auckland, and that's only because the film was developed there. This is a collection of negatives taken during the 1930's of their trips all over the North Island, from the Far North to Wellington. Going by the content of the negatives the family consisted of Mom, Dad, and 2 or 3 daughters, and it appears to be the daughters who were the photographers, but if just one or more I do not know. But one of them took at least one shot of every town that they passed through, which is the main content of this collection. There are few candid shots of the family, Mom or Dad may appear in some shots, but only in the background, which makes me think there was more than one photographer, each one taking the shots they wanted for their own album. Condition of the images varies, most are slightly out-of-focus, and there is some camera-shake, which makes about half unusable. The family appears fairly well-to-do, travelling as they do by car, and as no camping gear can be seen, staying at hotels and guesthouses along the way. The collection consists of about 200 negatives, their trips every year from 1930 to 1941, and must be only a fraction of what they took in earlier and later years. How I would like to see those!

If you are related to this family I would like to hear from you so I can update/correct my information.

Gordon's Garage, Wellsford, 1932.

Inglewood, 1937.

Masonic Hotel, Church St, Opotiki, 1936.

Egmont St, New Plymouth, 1935.

I have about 50 from this collection on Once Again Images.

I'm still working my way through these.

Eric Tarlton.

Eric Howard Tarlton.

21.6.1894 - 28.10.1954.

A small but very diverse collection of negatives dating from 1921 to 1946. Some of the earlier negatives have focus and shake problems, but Eric's photography improved along with the quality of his cameras. Eric's early single life was spent on lighthouses at the Brothers and Stephens Island. After marriage to Gladys Hall they were posted at Westport, their last posting was at Cape Brett, where their first daughter was born. Not long after they moved to Auckland where Eric took a position with H.M.Customs, with postings in New Plymouth and later Dunedin. Eric was a member of the Dunedin Photographic Society where he exhibited his work.

East Island Lighthouse. 1921.

Partington's Mill, Auckland. 1936.

Centennial Tower. 1940.

J Class locomotive, Dunedin. 1946.

Halfmoon Bay Wharf, Stewart Island. 1946.

More of Eric's photos are on Once Again Images.

K.Fickling.

K.Fickling.

These are some images from 15 rolls of 35mm film taken c.1962 by a railways enthusiaist who also had an interest in other things mechanical. The images are mainly of operating steam trains, but there are also some of engines in 'rotten rows' at Invercargill and Wanganui. In my research into the ID's and locations of these shots I was pleased to learn that a few of these derelict engines have been restored and are running, or are on display around the country. I also learned that K.Fickling had some railway images published in 'Along the line in NZ' by Traction Publications, 1972. You may think that would make him a professional and not suitable for this blog, but I believe he was an amateur who answered an ad for railways photos and was good enough to be included. I have found no reference to him anywhere else, so any information would be appreciated.

1909 Barclay 1181 at Ngauranga, Wellington.

Ka952 at Napier.

'Rotten Row', Wanganui.

Hataitai Tram Tunnel, Wellington.

Floating Dock, Wellington.

Captain Lorraine.

These photos from an album c.1899 depict an attraction of those days, a ballooning exhibition, but one with an unhappy ending.

Born David Mahoney in Auckland, 1872, he was interested in ballooning from an early age, and went to England in 1892 to learn the profession. Later using the name Captain Lorraine began making public ascents, descending using a parachute attached to a trapeze making '...performances most daring...' Returning to New Zealand in 1897 as Captain Lorraine he began a tour of the country with his balloon 'Empress'. On Nov 2, 1899, Captain Lorraine made his last ascent from Lancaster Park, Christchurch. It appears from newspaper reports that the parachute became detached from the balloon and fell away, leaving the Captain rapidly gaining height and drifting over the Port Hills towards Sumner. Soon afterwards a signalman at the Port Levy station, 10 miles from Lyttleton, watched as the balloon, with the Captain aboard, fell onto the sea. A boat was sent from the station, and others joined the search, but there was no sign of the Captain. It was reported that he tried to swim ashore and was drowned.

Captain Lorraine was the first New Zealand born balloonist, and unfortunately the first New Zealander to die in an air accident.

The photos here are not from this last ascent, but I have been able to identify the location as Lancaster Park, and dating from the month before, 14 Oct, when the Captain dropped by parachute from 11,000ft.

To give you an idea of an performance this below is from the Evening Post, 5 Oct, 1899.

"Captain Lorraine, a young Aucklander, who has acquired abroad the profession of an aeronaut, yesterday afternoon proved himself a man of nerve in undertaking a balloon ascent from the Basin Reserve, and an exciting and graceful descent by means of a parachute. So great an interest was taken in the unique exhibition that when, at a few minutes before 4.30 o'clock the aeronaut called out to the group of men and boys who were holding down his aerial steed "Let her go!" thousands of people were gathered-outside the Basin, for entrance to which a charge had been made. People blocked the thoroughfares around the Reserve, they occupied every coign of vantage, they were standing in groups upon the hills from Mount Victoria to Kilbirnie, they were even in the belfry of St. Mark's Church. But inside the Reserve only a few hundred people were seen. This was the reward of a deed of derring do! The balloon used by Captain Lorraine [The Empress], which was inflated from the Gas Company's mains, has a capacity of 16,000ft. The aeronaut made his ascent in an unostentatious manner, and without the gaudy trappings usually associated with balloon exhibitions. So light a wind was blowing that he anticipated being able to descend into the Basin, but when the balloon was let go it travelled so rapidly that before an elevation was reached suffiently high to let the parachute go the captain was balanced upon his trapeze high over St. Mark's Church. It was estimated that the descent was made from a 2000ft elevation. The aeronaut was seen to quietly detach himself from the balloon, and to the accompaniment of a sharp cry from onlookers he dropped for several hundred feet like a rocket-stick, until the parachute, and the trapeze, which was attached, gradually began to fill out like an umbrella, stopping the rapid descent of the parachutist, who thereafter came down so gracefully as to call forth cheers. Within five minutes of his leaving the Reserve Captain Lorraine had descended on the edge of the baths in the Wellington College grounds, where young Wellington gave him a hearty reception, which was repeated by people of older growth when he returned to the Basin Reserve, carrying his parachute. Meanwhile the balloon, which had up-ended on the aeronaut letting go, thus releasing the gas, floated gently over the hills towards Kilbirnie, being afterwards picked up on the Miramar Isthmus."