Whites Aviation Photos for Wellington viewers

[petecarter]

Hi,

I just thought I would let people know that the Alexander Turnbull Library down in Wellington has recently acquired the Whites Aviation photo collection, I think from MOTAT up in Auckland.

I've been lucky enough to have run through a few of the folders in this collection, and it has some fascinating pics for aviation fans. I hope this link works, but it should take you to the catalogue description for the collection.

tapuhi.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/spydus/FULL/GLOBAL/OPHDR/31/1117372,29

The things I noticed in the collection were that there were a whole bunch of old photographs of the early Pan-American clippers, as well as the early BOAC and TEAL seaplanes. I couldn't tell whether these were originals, but they were definitely of enormous historical value. They had a couple of pics I recognise of Ed Musick and the Samoan Clipper, as well as clippers in service with the British during the war.

I'll leave it there, but there is plenty of good stuff there! I'm hoping that John and the team down there get the images onto the library's online collection Timeframes. I definitely recommended it to him.

[Dave Homewood]

I note the collection has all his wartime RNZAF work as a photographer. I'm amazed the RNZAF doesn't have this, of course it may be dupolicated.

Leo White was commissioned by BOAC (or their predecessor?) as official photographer to the NZ tour of the Short Empire that Captain Burgess brought here in 1938. He apparently took literally thousnads of photos of the NZ coastline and countryside as they stooged around the nation.

[Peter Lewis]

The collection would have come from Modern Productions/Aerial Mapping, not from MoTAT.
The link to the Natioal Library does not work (even with a cut-and-paste).

[Dave Homewood]

The link is working ok for me.

It brings this up:

Record Title : Whites Aviation Ltd
Photographs
Reference Number : PA-Group-00080
Display Dates : [1920-1988]
Quantity : 34 container(s) negatives, transparencies and prints
Scope & Contents : Photographs taken by Leo White and Whites Aviation Ltd, ca 1920-1988. The collection covers the following areas:
Extensive general coverage of New Zealand from air and ground
Extensive coverage of Auckland region
Antartica
Pacific: Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands (incl WW2), Bougainville, Vanuatu, PNG, Kermadec Islands, Norfolk Island. Mostly RNZAF 1940s, and airline publicity 1940s-1950s
Singapore, Hongkong, Thailand (airline publicity 1940s-1950s)
Aviation history & portraits. Pioneers, NZPAF & RNZAF, airlines, personalities
Transport: scows, Pamir in Auckland 1948, shipping, railways
Sport: fishing, rugby, cricket, motor sport
Factories and industrial activities
Farms and rural activities
Extended Caption : Any publication or exhibition must be accompanied by the credit "Whites Aviation Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library"
Historical Notes : Whites Aviation Ltd was established 1945 by Leo White (1906-1967) to produce a series of popular illustrated publications of aviation history and aerial photography. White began to freelance as a photographer in the 1920s, and later worked for the Weekly News. He was closely involved with aviation in Auckland 1920s-1930s, and pioneered aerial photography in the region. He compiled Wingspread, a history of New Zealand aviation, in 1941; and served as a photographer with the RNZAF during WWII. During the early 1950s he covered New Zealand by air, taking photographs for Whites pictorial reference of New Zealand. In 1988 the business was purchased by Air Logistics. This firm has now become GeoSmart.
Restrictions : Partial restriction : Collection is currently being processed. Access may be restricted until arrangement is complete.
Child Record : Go to Child Records
Provenance : Purchase, 2007
Collection Status : COLLECTION
Issue Status : GROUP of Issuable Items
Collection Arrangement : Collection is currently being processed. Arrangement not complete.
Names : Whites Aviation Ltd (Creator)
White, Leo Lemuel, 1906-1967 (as the photographer)
Subjects : Aeronautics - New Zealand

[petecarter]

Ok, thanks for the update about where they were transferred from. John hinted at Motat but wasn't 100% sure. They're still transferring the negatives, so it'll be a few weeks before anyone would be able to order anything.