Facing an Era at Art Gallery
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"To Mrs Lord, Napier", c.1905, photographer unknown, W. Main Collection. |
Facing an Era is an exhibition of 200 black-and-white photographic portraits of what might be called "ordinary" New Zealanders, taken in the first half of the 20th Century.
These will be exhibited at the Christchurch Art Gallery from 13 October to 12 November, the opening coinciding with Christchurch’s Carter Group Heritage Week (13 to 23 October).Inspired by an exhibition held in 2004 at London’s National Portrait Gallery, Wellington-based photographic historian and collector William Main has brought together an impressive collection of portrait postcards of anonymous New Zealanders, taken by amateur and professional photographers.
While initially intended for family and friends, they serve a very different purpose in illustrating a period when our country was beginning to move away from its colonial origins as a primary producer for Mother England into a consumer society.
"On initial examination, these portraits don’t reveal very much — perhaps a tentative smile from a young woman sporting a wrist watch or an ungainly young man with dust on his shoes in a photographer’s studio," Main says.
"Others show people with pets, possessions and playthings. Collectively speaking, these postcards document the people who experienced two world wars and an economic depression. Historically, they illustrate those who began to forge a nation in the South Pacific."
William Main has written several books on New Zealand's photographic past. Accompanying this exhibition, his latest book, Facing an Era: portraits from a century ago, will be available at the Gallery Shop. |
