A glimpse at 175 years of New Zealand photography
When Te Papa's curator of photography Athol McCredie published New Zealand Photography Collected in 2015, the landmark book provided a unique visual lens into our history.
A decade later, the expanded edition spans nearly two centuries and more than 400 pages.
New Zealand Photography Collected: 175 Years of Photography in Aotearoa explores our national identity and tells stories about life in this country from the earliest days of European colonisation and the evolution of photography here.
Here are six unique images included in the collection.
Saturday Morning
This photograph has had its negative retouched so the three women, who are almost identically dressed (they could be sisters), sit quite intimately with two men who have been transformed into skeletons. Unknown Photographer
Christopher Bede Studios was formed by Frank Hofmann and Bill Doherty around 1950. It focused on home portraiture but also operated a studio, and this photograph was probably taken to promote its new premises being opened in Auckland in 1967.Frank Hofmann
George Chance sold vast numbers of prints, riding on the public’s familiarity with his work through its publication in magazines such as the Weekly News, Brett’s Christmas Annual and the Mirror. George Chance
Max Oettli’s avowed intention was to capture life with his camera. Riding a motorbike while taking a photograph was a risky exercise, especially on a gravel road, but the blurry result nicely evokes the feel of riding down a rough country road near dusk.Max Oettli
Yvonne Todd found this abject, barely recognisable piece of clothing in a gutter and decided to give it the full product photography treatment in her studio. Yvonne Todd
The photograph shows artist Eric Lee-Johnson with his brother Cyril’s children and car. It is taken from a section of land on which Vivienne Lee-Johnson and her husband Eric were camping and hoped to build.Vivienne Lee Johnson
