NZ History brought to life in photographs

Studio group, circa 1884 by Enos Pegler part of the exhibition 'A Different Light" at the Adam Gallery

As the nation prepares for Waitangi celebrations this week an exhibition in Wellington celebrates a phenomenon nearly as old as te Tiriti itself

A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa opened at the Adam Art Gallery this week tracing the history of photography in our country as a new technology developing amid the growth of a new nation.

The first known photograph taken in Aotearoa was in 1848, 20 years after Frenchman Nicéphore Niépce managed to fix an image taken with a camera onto metal plates.

Mere Te Kaehe Karetai, 1893, by William M. Hodgkins

This new technology was enthusiastically adopted by professionals and amateurs alike and it quickly played a critical part of society in the 19th century.

“The invention of photography was a remarkable technological event of the 19th century that had huge impacts on society and how it saw itself,” Rachel Esson, Te Pouhuaki – National Librarian, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa said ahead of the opening.

“This is the first time such a comprehensive survey of early photography has come together in New Zealand.”

Māori woman in a tag cloak [possibly Rīpeka Te Puni] and Amy Elizabeth Wright at Te Karaka kāinga, Karaka Bay, Wellington, c. 1885, by Henry Wright

The exhibition draws on the extensive collections of three major research libraries — Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Alexander Turnbull Library and Uare Taoka o Hākena Hocken Collections.

They include portraits of kīngi and governors, settlers and surveyors, kāinga and towns, and dramatic landscapes, illuminating a period of extraordinary upheaval and transformation.

Waikiti. Whakarewarewa, c. 1880s, by Josiah Martin

Many of the photographs are being shown for the first time illustrating aspects of life in early colonial New Zealand society and tracing the advancements and proliferation of photography itself, from its beginnings as an expensive luxury for a privileged few, through to becoming a part of everyday life by the end of the 19th century.

Jessica Moran, acting chief librarian, Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa said, “A Different Light is a wonderful opportunity to see some of the first photographs from Aotearoa New Zealand gathered together from the collections of three major research libraries — Auckland Museum, Hocken Collections, and the Turnbull Library.

Unidentified woman looking through a camera on a tripod, c. late 1890s, photograph by Robina Nicol

“Working together, and with the support of the Adam Art Gallery, we’re able to bring to light photographic taonga, including portraits of tīpuna with deep significance and the ability to connect people across time and space.”

Louise Garrett, Alexander Turnbull Library’s photographic curator added, “This is a rare opportunity to see up close some of the Turnbull Library’s earliest photographic images, such as an 1852 daguerreotype of Wellingtonian, Edward Catchpool, who came to Wellington with his wife Ann in 1839, and later established the first steam-powered flour mill.

“This is just one story from this multi-layered and rich exhibition, which we are sure will provoke conversations about the significance of photographic imagery in the context of this country’s history.”

A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa is on at the Adam Gallery in Wellington until June 15 before moving on to the Hockens Collection in Dunedin in September.

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