Author: [New Zealand History]. Barton, Jack
Title: PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION. New Zealand Immigrants / Settlers
Description: Gisborne, New Zealand: , (n. d.). Ca 1898 - 1900. The collection housed in a custom quarter-leather clamshell case. Approximately 100 photographs (silver gelatin & other types), ~ 20% captioned, now all housed in a clear archival mylar sleeves. Photos range in size from snapshots to 5" x 8", mounted on stiff stock paper. Case: 9-1/2" x 12" x 4" Here offered an exceptionally wonderful 1898-1900 collection of fascinating b/w photographs of the Homestead of the Barton family outside of Gisborne, New Zealand. A number of the Images are identified as being from “Mangatu”. The collection includes interesting images of the wilderness area outside of Gisborne at the turn of the 20th century and early outposts in the area as well as personal photos of a family that apparently immigrated to New Zealand from England in 1889. We are unsure if these Bartons were related to the Richard John Barton II – the New Zealand pastoralist, runholder, businessman and author in the early 20th century in Wellington and the Wairarapa, and as such, the collection warrants further research by a New Zealand historian/scholar. The collection includes a photograph of the New Zealand Shipping Company’s Passenger and Refrigerated Cargo ship the SS Wakanui at anchor in a harbor, likely in Great Britain. This image is titled “The Wakanui (Big Canoe). / The Steamer they went out in Sept. 14th, 1899”. The Wakanui was one of a fleet of steamships belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company that transported both cargo and passengers between New Zealand and Great Britain. We presume the Bartons traveled to New Zealand on the Wakanui to begin their new life. Photographs herein picture the newly constructed Barton Farmhouse identified as “The Glynn”. There is a photo of the exterior of the beautiful home, one of the interior (titled “Corner of the drawing room. Glynn”) and a third the expansive view from the home’s porch (titled “View from Glynn Veranda”). Affixed to the back of the first two pages of the Album are drawings (almost architectural renderings) of the Glynn. Another photograph shows four white men and a dog outside of a rather primitive looking wooden building referred to as a Maori Whare. One of the men holds a rifle across his lap. The image is titled “This Whare (40 miles back) is connected to the world by telephone”. An added note in a different hand reads “Jack making a neighborly call”. However, there are no visible phone lines so it is unclear how this place is connected to the “outside world”. There is one simply fantastic image of “Jack” Barton standing in front of a massive white pine tree trunk that appears to have been recently felled. The Image is titled “J. S. Barton & white pine log”. Even though Jack holds an axe, it is quite obvious that the tree was felled by a cross cut saw. Another fantastic image depicts a wooden Whare. Jack Barton sits on horseback in front of the building and there is another man on horseback and one holding the reins of his horse at the left. This Photo is titled “Jack’s Whare (Mangatu Post Office)”. There is a photograph of a man on horseback herding a small group of cattle in the forest, there is an image titled “R. E. Barton (in camp)”. This pictures a young man and his dog in front of a combination wood and canvas tent structure in a heavily wooded area. Included are a number of half page photographs taken in the outback area around the Barton homestead, including one that is titled “On the way to Mangaba”. There are two large, birds-eye-views of the city of Gisborne which, at this time (ca1900) was a rather small city hugging the coast. The remainder of the images include family members as well as views around the area of the Glynn. All-in-all, a nice collection depicting this New Zealand family's life a 125 years ago. Overall, the larger photos are mostly in good condition, clean, crisp and exhibiting sharp focus, strong contrast & rich warm tonality. The vast majority of the smaller Photographs are also in good condition however there are some (mostly family snapshot images) that have faded somewhat. Mounts have become age-toned & brittle, with a few showing edge loss. One mount with photo excised. Case - Fine.

Keywords: Photography Photography


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