The Photographic Archive forms part of the Alexander Turnbull Library collections. It was started in the late 1930s and continues to grow as a visual record of New Zealand and its people.
The Archive holds photographs taken by professional photographers as well as the work of ordinary New Zealanders who have documented their lives, families and communities.
The collection is strong in the following areas:
- Māori life, people and activities
- cities and towns of New Zealand
- the New Zealand Wars
- New Zealanders in the two World Wars and other international conflicts
- Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands and other parts of the Pacific
- Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic Islands, including the expeditions of Scott, Shackleton and the Ross Sea Committee
- photographs from the Evening Post, Dominion, The Press, and other newspapers
- prominent New Zealand photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Daniel Beere, Tyree Studio, Leslie Adkin, John Pascoe, Ans Westra, Samuel Carnell, Irene Koppel and William James Harding
- portraits of New Zealanders from all walks of life, representing many ethnic and social groups.
Access items in this collection
Search for descriptions of items in the Photographic Archive using TAPUHI. Not all items are described online. If you can’t find what you’re looking for ask a librarian.
Digital copies of selected items are on Timeframes, our online database of heritage images.
The Photographic
Archive is on the second floor of the Library. You can book a time to view the
collection by phone or email.
If you haven’t visited the collection before, a good place to start is Turnbull Library Pictures (TLP) where you can see about 200,000 copies of original photographs, paintings, drawings and prints. You can also make an appointment there to view the original items if you need to.
Our photographs are unique and often fragile. We will provide handling advice and cotton gloves to wear when examining them. We ask that you use pencils to take notes. You may also use a laptop.
More about Turnbull Library Pictures
Get copies from items in this collection
You can order copies of most photographs in the Archive if copying doesn’t harm the original or breach copyright. Formats available include digital copies on CD-ROM, inkjet prints, and photocopies.
Find price lists and order items on Timeframes, or contact us and we’ll send you an order form.
Get help
We can answer your enquiries in person, by letter, phone or email. We can provide further information about photographs in the collection, and New Zealand photographers.
We can also talk to individuals or groups about the care and organisation of their photographs. The National Preservation Office will offer advice in this area as well.
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Alexander Turnbull Library collections National Preservation Office |
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