RECORD OF EARLY CANTERBURY

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28270, 7 May 1957, Page 10

RECORD OF EARLY CANTERBURY

Photographs By Dr. Barker '* A visual record was very necessary in recreating the past, said Mr C. R. Straubel, speaking of the. importance of Dr. A. C. Barker’s work in recording, by photography, the early Canterbury scene, at a social function for members of the Canterbury Pilgrims’ and Early Settlers’ Association. The earliest pictorial records of Canterbury were sketches of Akaroa and Lyttelton harbours on two French maps based on surveys of 1838, said Mr Staubel. Early surveyors also sketched scenes along the coast, and casual sketches were made by some of the settlers. Dr. Barker’s sketches, however, were deliberate, and his group told more about earliest Christchurch than the sketches of any other artist. His work was simple and direct. Later, Dr. Barker developed an interest in pftdTOgraphy. His collection showed portraits of people taken in 1857 and 1858, and in the latter year tentative outdoor scenes. From 1858 to 1872 he was assiduously photographing people, places and trees —his collection showed the growth of Christchurch in a year, from a patch of tussock to an area dotted with houses. From the new Provincial Council Chambers he was able to take panoramic views. Dr. Barker did a wide range of work, said Mr Straubel,. and its great value was increased by Dr. Barker’s habit of meticulously dating and labelling each of his negatives. “Let us hope that when people look back on our time they will find as good a record,” Mr Straubel said. Many of Dr. Barker’s collection of loose photographs were shown at the meeting and members were allowed to look at three big albums. Also on display were some of the costumes from the Godley collection, including the dress uniform worn by John Robert Godley. Miss Rose Reynolds spoke of the historical importance of the collection and described the proposed new lay-out for the early colonial section at the Canterbury Museum.