A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16165, 20 March 1918, Page 9

A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY.

To THE EDITOR OF "THE I'll ESS." Sir, —Following on your leading article under above title in "The l-rees," February 14th, you will, be interested, to know the recommendation contained in the leader is further reaching than you may have anticipated, and l shall not be required to beg pardon for referring to the subject again. The Rev. Canon Stack, from far-away Great Britain, who had occasion to tnank me for finding a much cherished but long-lost photograph taken in the early sixties, proves in the following extract, which j, take the liberty of quoting, what a deep interest wcuid be telt in the photographic history of Canterbury, which it appears was contemplated by Dr. Barker about 1865: "You have given me something that I shall prize highly, the photo of my old church, St. Stephen's, jvaiapoi, taken by Dr. Barker. I have fretted a good deal about the loss of an original copy which Mr S. Barker gave me. It was with several others I treasured when wo moved from our villa at Bordigliera, Italy, to Worthing, England. The history of the original plate is this: Dr. Barker found in photography a pleasant source of recreation, and conceived the idea of forming a, pictorial history of the changing period through which Canterbury was passing in tho sixties when the old shanties, raupo huts and tents were being replaced by substantial buildings. So he procured a sort of Gipsy van- and fitted it as a photographic studio, and then he made a tour of tho province ; pom- ] mencing with Christohurch, and its immediate neighbourhood. In the course of his tour he appeared ono morning at St. Stephen's, i was away ou one of iny missionary visits to the Peninsula, but Mrs Stack induced a number of tho Maoris to gather round the church door, and the school children, under Miss Taylor, the teacher, and our children and tho nurse, Miss Comyns, formed part of the group—Mrs Stack is the lady with crinoline in the foreground. The Paddy O'Rafferty in a belltopper is Te Aika, the white beard is Albert Koti, Wi Naehira and C. Tehoika were in the crowd. On getting home I was not quite pleased io find that the natives presented a rather shabby group, lor I would rather they had been in Maori mats, but Dr. Barker was in such a hurry he could not wait till more natives had assembled, and had dressed for the occasion." I wish to stress the fact that the most laudable and hard work of beginning tho pictorial history should be kept in view, and the now scattered negatives, as well as tho prints from negatives damaged and broken, should be collected, and good enlargements made, for the purposes of the photographic history. It will be the work of many to unite in restoring the pictures to some central depot from which copies may be printed to supply the standard record albums to be preserved in the Canterbury Museum.—Yours, etc., J. L. W. March 16th.