Graham Jackson and his grandson Mathew Jackson Raines were thrilled to see the uniform of their ancestor Sergeant John Smith Jackson (1870-1963) on display in Uniformity: Cracking the dress code at Te Papa recently. Sergeant Jackson is Graham’s grandfather and Matt’s great-great grandfather. As a young man, John Smith Jackson joinedRead more
93 years ago the first health camp opens at Turakina (25 November 1919) New Zealand’s first health camp was founded by Dr Elizabeth Gunn. The first group of 55 children stayed in tents for three weeks. Gunn had been a military doctor, and brought this experience with her to the runningRead more
Sam Johnson of the Canterbury’s Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is in the news again! This time, however, the world’s media have zoomed in not on Sam’s amazing volunteer work and leadership following the Canterbury Earthquakes, but on his dance moves. During Prince Charles and Camilla’s recent visit to Christchurch, Sam took the Duchess of Cornwall for a spin onRead more
Cloak on display-opening blessing for Te Papa exhibitions, National Museum of China, 31st October 2012. Photographer John B. Turner, Beijing. “The smallest is as great as the largest.” October 1st, 1957. Dusk descends on Tiananmen Square, Peking, now known as Beijing. Fireworks crackle light across the night sky, above a city aliveRead more
I’ve been asked a lot of questions about why some of the new acquisitions were pursued and why they were put into this show, so hopefully this entry will help answer some of the queries and shed light on the curatorial decisions made for Uniformity. In my last blog Uniformity: WhyRead more
Since the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, Te Papa has been collecting objects relating to the earthquakes. We have been particularly interested in objects which demonstrate acts of public support, such as fundraising and spirit-raising initiatives, and creative and entrepreneurial responses to the earthquakes. ’Aftersocks’, 2011, New Zealand. Rural Women New Zealand, New ZealandRead more
In 1978 contemporary New Zealand artist Barry Thomas undertook a public art project in inner city Wellington. Utilising a vacant lot on the corner of Willis and Manners Streets, the artist and his friends cut through a wire perimeter fence, delivered a truckload of top soil to the site andRead more
77 years ago the distribution of free milk to 5500 primary school children in Auckland begins (14 October 1935) This world first began as a temporary measure in Auckland for primary school children up to Standard 4 (year 6). The experiment, paid for the Auckland City Council, was closely watchedRead more
Most curators will be able to pick out an exhibition in their professional history that they are very fond of. And I think the exhibition I’m going to talk about in this blog is one show that will always be a bit close to my heart. On the 27th ofRead more
Te Papa has a collection of nearly 4,000 glass plate and film negatives taken by the Wellington photography studio Berry & Co. The studio was founded by William Berry in 1897, and operated in Cuba St until 1931. The negatives are mainly portraits – of families, children, men and women,Read more
From the British Museum’s global History of the World in 100 objects to the recent gorgeous local publication Te Hao Nui The Great Catch: Object stories from Te Manawa Museum, it is clear that there is renewed interest and excitement in material culture. Antiques, vintage and retro, as well asRead more
Hopefully many of you have seen or plan to see our newest Eyelights gallery exhibition that opened on the 24th of September. Uniformity: Cracking the Dress Code features uniforms worn in various contexts—school, church, battlefield, rugby field, and even those worn on the street. A previous post about Uniformity talkedRead more
It is not often I come across early photographs that capture pure joy like this one does. Too young to find the serious appeals of the photographer’s command to “keep still” anything other than funny, this infant boy’s laughter dominates the image and projects a good sense of fun aboutRead more
Te Papa’s collection of pressed, dried plant specimens includes samples of native and exotic species collected in New Zealand and other parts of the world. Many of the foreign specimens currently in the collection were brought into New Zealand in the late 1870s to be used as reference material and toRead more
One of the fascinating aspects of the Berry & Co photographs of World War I soldiers is that they were often photographed with family and friends. These family photographs bring to the fore the fact that women and children were affected by the war. Life on the home front wasRead more
