Notable Acquisitions

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 32, 1 January 1999, Page 98

Notable Acquisitions

Archive of New Zealand Music A bequest from the estate of Dr Nicholas Danilow and his wife, Ariadne adds significantly to materials of immigrants to New Zealand during the Second World War. The Danilows both taught at Victoria University - Dr Danilow was the University’s first teacher of Russian, and Ariadne, the daughter of Paul de Conne, a professor of music in Vienna, taught piano for many years. The collection, which dates from ca 1900 to 1998, comprises eight boxes of correspondence, diaries, teaching records, appointment and note books, photographs, postcards, brochures, programmes and newspaper clippings. Music educator and conductor William Walden-Mills was bom in Hampshire and came to New Zealand in 1953. From 1959 to 1974 he was National Adviser for Schools on music, and he also conducted various choirs and orchestras including the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and the Renaissance Singers. His papers comprise a journal kept while on service in Iraq in 1942, and two scrapbooks of his music career from 1953 to 1963. A collection of 18 sound recordings of performances by the Festival Singers of Wellington, 1991-97, was donated by the Singers and also includes some programmes.

Drawings & Prints Fifteen watercolours of Pacific scenes by Lieutenant Thomas Bent (18437-1887) were purchased at Christie’s, London, in April. Bent served aboard HMS Iris in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, and his detailed watercolours include views of the Iris at Vanuatu, the Society Islands, Norfolk Island and New Caledonia in 1857 and 1858. The sketches generally include images of local people and their dwellings.

The Reverend William Spotswood Green, with Swiss guides Emil Boss and Ulrich Kaufmann, almost achieved the first ascent of Mount Cook in 1882, but nightfall and the weather forced the three to turn back when they were within 200 feet of the summit. Mrs Belinda Baldock of Ireland, Green’s granddaughter, has donated three large watercolours and an album of Green’s watercolours recording the attempt. This gift is an addition to an earlier donation of eight small watercolours of Green’s New Zealand adventures. Mrs Baldock has also given the Library Green’s albums of watercolours of his mountaineering and general exploration of Switzerland, the West Indies, the Orinoco River and of Norway. Raymond Boyce, veteran designer for Downstage and for opera and ballet, has donated 527 drawings, mostly in gouache and pencil. These designs for theatre, ballet and musicals were created over the period 1951-98 and complement the large collection of his work donated by Downstage in the 19705.

Ephemera Joan and Betty Rayner Strolling Players: Four posters, two for the Strolling Players and two for the T.O.Y. Players (Theatre of Youth), ca 1932. Joan and Betty Rayner were New Zealand-born sisters, who started the Theatre of Youth (T.0.Y.) in Australia, and toured to several countries, visiting New York in 1928 and New Zealand in 1932. Donated by Dr Patricia Whitmore.

A collection of theatre programmes and magicians’ posters, 1950-1980 s, were donated by Mr Arthur Saunders of Carterton. Mr Saunders gave his collection in memory of his mother; it reflects his activity as an amateur magician as well as his interest in popular musicals and variety shows. Ms Gillian Marie donated a collection of posters relating to women in the workforce, including posters on the issues of sexual harassment, equal opportunity and parental leave. Ms Marie was employed at the University of Waikato Centre for Continuing Education, and her donation includes theatrical performances in Hamilton.

Manuscripts and Archives There were a number of notable acquisitions to the Manuscripts and Archives collection during the year. Two contrasting accessions of particular note were the papers of Governor Ranfurly and those of Rewi Alley. A third accession, from the Parliamentary Library, included a rich variety of manuscript items of major research interest. The Ranfurly papers were acquired from his descendants in England and give a comprehensive coverage of his time as Governor in New Zealand, 1897-1904. Included are: his unpublished reminiscences; a beautifully illustrated journal kept by his chief aide-de-camp Dudley Alexander; correspondence and other papers; and meticulously kept scrapbooks recording every press mention of the family. Of particular note are a set of photograph albums which record, among other things, Ranfurly’s Pacific tour of 1901 (during which the Cook Islands and Niue were annexed to New Zealand), and a journey through the Urerewa ranges to visit Tuhoe leaders in 1904. Also included are paintings by Ranfurly’s wife, Lady Constance Ranfurly, who was an accomplished artist. Ranfurly and his wife were very popular during their time in New Zealand and the papers reveal how influential they were in encouraging the emerging mixture of imperial loyalty and national pride of many New Zealanders at this time.

Rewi Alley is a very different figure. Most of his life was spent in China as a writer, educator and supporter of the Chinese revolution during which time he recorded his life in diaries, and was a busy correspondent with overseas friends, family and supporters. After his death in 1988 the papers were cared for in Beijing by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The Association generously decided that the papers would be of most value in New Zealand and they were handed over to the Library at a formal presentation in April 1999. The papers, together with other Alley material already held, provides a unique insight into the relationship between New Zealand and China during the Cold War period.

The Parliamentary Library transfer comprised over a shelf metre of various manuscripts. These manuscripts were part of the large collection of 19th and early 20th century nongovernment archives mainly acquired during the period that Guy Scholefield was Parliamentary Librarian. Most of these archives were transferred to the Turnbull in the 19705, and the transfer of these remaining items completes that process. They make up a small but rich and varied collection. Included is a minute-book of the New Zealand Company directors, 185361, and a volume recording the distribution of Company funds; log books of HMS New Zealand , 1906-09; correspondence relating to the New Zealand Industrial Exhibition, 1885; a record book of New Zealand exhibitors at the 1888 Melbourne Centennial Exhibition;

Manchester Unity Friendly Society records, 1858-1901; a minute-book of the Bay of Plenty Volunteer Cavalry Corps, 1866-80; and a journal of the New Zealand wars by Duncan McKenzie of the 40th Regiment. This latter volume was acquired from an English dealer by Scholefield’s predecessor, Charles Wilson, and was the first manuscript ever purchased by the New Zealand government.

New Zealand and Pacific Published Collections Significant resources were added to the collections of periodicals and newspapers by the purchase of microfilm copies of complete runs of titles; among these were: N.Z. Presbyterian/ Outlook, 1879-1986; N.Z.E.F. times, 1941-45; Northern luminary/Bay of Islands luminary, 1879-1919, and the Argus (Melbourne), 1846-1957 (the last as a newspaper of record). Individual newspaper titles were also purchased and acquired by donation so that runs of titles held in paper copy could be completed. Among these titles were the Northern advocate, 1911-38 (donated by Northern Advocate Limited), 1880 s issues of the Westport star, the Lyell times and Buller news. Among the more interesting monograph titles purchased were ‘Chris Knox: One little man and his big load of puh’ in Forced exposure, no. 18 (1993); and Unknown legends of rock ’n roll: Psychedelic unknowns, mad geniuses, punk pioneers, 10-fi mavericks and more, by Ritchie Unterberger (San Francisco: Miller Freeman, 1998).

Photographic Archive A photograph album compiled by Lieutenant Thomas Bent of FIMS Iris, containing 46 albumen prints by Matthew Fortescue Moresby, includes scenes in Rio de Janiero, Norfolk Island and New Zealand, ca 1857-59, and photographs of groups of Maori taken in Auckland during the visit of the Iris in 1857. These may be among the earliest recorded photographs taken in New Zealand and the earliest photographs of Maori. The album was acquired at the same time as the collection of watercolours by Bent referred to above.

Sound Recordings In recent years the Library has been making increased efforts to ensure a comprehensive collection of sound recordings by New Zealand artists and/or recorded in New Zealand. Among the producers from which material was acquired this year were: Zero in Auckland (Stage door witchdoctors, by Chants R & B, 1997?); Red Rooster in Wellington (Let’s go, by Pleasers and Pete Sinclair, 1965); and Turkbytone Records, in Palmerston North (The Bing Turkby Ensemble meets Moslem Sal, 1998). New Zealand artists are also recorded overseas and this year purchases were made of Rock from the other side, Volume 1 (Rotterdam: Down South Records, 1992?) and And now the rain sounds like life is falling down through it, by Roy Montgomery (San Francisco: Drunken Fish, 1998).

Special Printed Collections The most significant acquisition for the Special Printed Collections during the year was the Zillah and Ronald Castle Collection of rare music scores. This was only a small part of the entire Castle collection of musical instruments, books and scores, regrettably dispersed

following the death of Zillah Castle in 1998, but fortunately secured from sale overseas. The generous intervention of The Friends of the Turnbull Library ensured the acquisition of the rare scores for the Alexander Turnbull Library, and the musical instruments were purchased by the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The scores comprise more than 200 items, dating from the 1590 s to the 1830 s, and have never been readily accessible to the public. Most of the scores are 18th century English editions of well-known composers such as Handel, Ame and Corelli. Among the 17th century imprints are the beautifully engraved first edition of the Marais Pieces de viole (Paris, 1686) and an early edition of Playford’s Musical companion (London, 1673). As well as significantly enhancing the Turnbull collections relating to the art and history of the book, this acquisition now allows greatly improved early music research and performance possibilities in New Zealand.

Additions to the works relating to John Milton during the year included the Dissertation critique sur ‘Le Paradis perdu ’ by Constantin de Magny (Paris, 1729), one of the earliest and most substantial French studies following the publication of the first complete French translation of Paradise lost in 1727. A volume of engraved illustrations to Milton by Stothard, Fuseli and Hamilton (London, 1818) was donated by the Canterbury Public Library. Additions to the Archive of New Zealand Printing included donations of handprinted books and ephemera from the Frayed Frisket Press (Lincoln), the Wai-te-ata Press (Wellington), the Puriri Press (Auckland) and the Pear Tree Press (Auckland).