Art , Archives, Photographs
The Collections
Documentary Archives and Architectural Drawings
The Library holds over 3500 linear metres of documentary archives from a wide range of organisations, people and families. This material comes in the form of minute books, personal diaries, letters and much more. We also have over 100,000 architectural drawings, covering the history of the built environment in Canterbury and Westland from the late 19th century to the modern day.
- Browse our archive inventories by collection type
- Learn more about the documentary archives collection and how to access it.
- Learn more about the architectural drawings collection and how to access it
- Learn more about copying or reproduction fees.
Photographs
We have many tens of thousands of photographic images available for use by researchers. These images have mainly been donated to us by members of the Canterbury and Westland community, both individuals and organisations. We also hold hundreds of images originating from the University itself. The images cover a huge range of topics from social affairs and working life to landscapes and technology. The Library has an ongoing project to digitise as many of these images as possible and make them available online.
- Search all photographs
- Learn more about the photographs collection and how to access it
Art Collection
There are approximately 3000 works in the University of Canterbury art collection, making it one of the largest art collections in the region. The major strength of the collection is its representation of Canterbury art and artists, in particular those who have taught or studied at the University or at the College of Education. The collection includes works in a wide variety of media, including paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, weavings, and carvings.
A small proportion of the art collection is now available for viewing on-line. As the Library is able to digitise works and negotiate copyright clearance, the on-line resource will continue to expand. If you cannot find what you are searching for on-line, please contact the Art Collection Curator for assistance.
- Search the Art Collection
- Learn more about the Art Collection and how to access it
Featured Collections
As part of our ongoing digitisation work the Library has made a number of unique archival collections available on line.
AC Graham Photo Collection
Alexander Carter Graham (1881-1957) was a mountaineer and photographer. This collection was given to the Library by his daughter Dorothy Fletcher. The collection is a combination of images gathered by A. C. Graham from a number of sources, and photographs taken by A. C. Graham and his friends. As a whole, the collection provides a unique visual record of the West coast and its places and people dating from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century.
European Prints Collection
In 2004, a valuable collection of sixty-five prints was discovered in the University of Canterbury archives. A project was established to begin cataloguing the collection in 2008, which has as a result uncovered some fascinating information about these rare and beautiful prints. Spanning the 17th to the 19th centuries, the collection has turned out to contain an eclectic mix of images. Far from being just pleasant pastoral landscapes, within the collection are scenes of shipwrecks, kidnap, betrayal, martyrdom, brutal death, curious foreigners and famous historical figures.
Amongst the many artists represented in the collection are some well known names, including Francesco Bartolozzi (Italian, 1725-1815), Anibale Carracci (Italian, 1560-1609), and Giovanni Battista Piranesi (Italian, 1720- 1778). Artists that feature most prominently in the collection include Jakob Frey (Swiss,1681-1752) with five engravings done after Italian artists such as Guercino and Albani. There are also 13 works from the series 'Seventeen Heads from the Far-famed Picture of the Transfiguration', based on the work of Raphael (Italian, 1483-1520).
Unfortunately the cataloguing project has been unable to shed any light on the provenance of this collection. Was it a gentleman’s collection put together as a memento of his Grand Tour, or a teaching collection used to help students of art learn about classical forms and symbolism? While we may never know how these prints have ended up here at Canterbury University, we are very proud to be able to present them now as a unique component of the University’s art collection.
Many thanks to Dr Emilie Sitzia and Rachel McConnell for their assistance in creating this resource.
Rutherford Collection
Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) is one of Canterbury College's most accomplished alumni. Rutherford became a scientist of immense international stature and in 1908 won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his investigations into the disintegration of elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances. Rutherford's work was pivotal in forming the theoretical framework for 20th century nuclear science.
Rutherford attended Canterbury College from 1890-1894, obtaining three degrees (BA, MA with double first class honours in Mathematics and physics, and BSc) and carried out original research at the forefront of the electrical technology of the day during 1893-4. He was later granted a DSc and Canterbury College's first DSc (honorary).
This collection comprises digital representations of the majority of archival material relating to Rutherford held by the University's Macmillan Brown Library. Amongst other things the online collection comprises letters written by and to Rutherford, reminiscences of colleagues about Rutherford, a record of Rutherford's involvement with the Canterbury College Science Society and copies of Rutherford's certificates, scrolls and medals.
Springbok Tour 1981
At the conclusion of the Springbok's Rugby tour of New Zealand in July-September 1981 members of the English Department of the University of Canterbury placed advertisements in a number of newspapers and periodicals throughout New Zealand asking for people's comments and experiences. These responses were compiled to form this collection. These items have been edited only to preserve the anonymity of the contributors.
Copying and production fees
These fees apply to images of the University's Archives, Photographic, Architectural Drawings, and Art Collections.
Contact
Macmillan Brown Library, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch. Ph: +64 3 364 2753, (internal ext 6753), macbrown@ libr.canterbury.ac.nz