Advertising - Railways

Date: [Between 1930 and 1934]

By: New Zealand Railways; Andrew, Stanley Polkinghorne, 1878-1964; Wrigglesworth and Binns (Firm); Mitchell, Lindsay, active 1930-1942

Reference: PA1-f-058

Description: Album of publicity photographs including designs for advertisements for use in the new Zealand Railway Magazine; designs for posters for use in Railways Ticket Offices and one for a large neon lighting sign "Suggested `Claude Neon' Display for New Zealand Railway Publicity Department, Wellington. `Travel by train'". One photograph is entitled "`Post' corner 1880. Now site of King's Chambers". A number of images show a [Labour Day?] parade of marching people, and floats some of which are advertising NZ Railways holiday destinations, with slogans reading `Come to Rotorua', `Come to Waitomo', `Come to The Chateau Tongariro'. There are designs of title pages for the New Zealand Railways Magazine; a view of a commemorative key with a sheaf of corn on the handle in a presentation box; and designs for a programme of events surround the laying of the foundation stone for the new Government Railway Station, Wellington, N.Z. by HRH the Duke of Gloucester, December 17th 1934. These are followed by photographs taken during the Duke's tour of New Zealand, including crowd scenes in Wellington, Maori celebrations of welcome at Ngaruawahia, and scenes in the Rotorua thermal area. There are a few individual and group portraits of the management and administrative staff of New Zealand Railways, most unidentified. Most of the images relate to the 1930s, but there are a few copies of earlier photographs. Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s). Physical Description: Album with canvas cover, maroon spine, entitled `Miscellaneous Book C4'; 42 x 59 cm

Date: [Circa 1935]

By: New Zealand Railways; Andrew, Stanley Polkinghorne, 1878-1964

Reference: PA1-f-059

Description: Album of publicity photographs, taken by unidentified photographers, chiefly in 1935 At the beginning of the album there are a large number of photographs of the buildings, and crowds at a race meeting at the Trentham Racecourse. (See article by O.N. Gillespie in New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue, 12, March 1, 1935). The album has many publicity photographs, designs for railway advertisements and posters, all showing the advantages of travel by rail. The advertisements include methods for travel savings: `Buy travel stamps. Travel savings N.Z.R. 1/-, 2/-, 2/6, 5/-, from railway stations & booking offices'; also `Start saving to-day for your trip away...'. Other posters advertise cheaper travel in the off-season, including summer holidays at the Hermitage, with low combined rail and motor fares" as well as advertising full season trips to tourist destinations. There is one photograph of a programme [?] for "New Zealand Authors' Week, 1936. Souvenir". Near the start of the album there is a large group of views at Flock House, agricultural college at Bulls. They show pig farming, dairy cows, sheep, lucerne for pasture and vegetable growing (See New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 12, March 1, 1935); and in one of these Lord Bledisloe is bending down examining pasture (See New Zealand Railways magazine, Vol. 9, Issue 11, February 1, 1935) There are a few individual and group portraits, but only one or two are identified. Interior photographs of Union Steam Ship Company luxury liners Rangatira and Aorangi, are shown as individual pictures, as well as in a montage (published in New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, issue 4, July 1, 1935). Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s). Physical Description: Album with canvas cover, green spine, entitled `Miscelleous 5'; 41 x 59 cm

Date: [1930s]

By: New Zealand Railways

Reference: PA1-f-057

Description: Album of photographs of scenes, advertisements and posters advertising rail and ferry travel in New Zealand. The advertisements were used in The New Zealand Railways Magazine, and the posters were displayed at Railways Ticket Offices. The posters, and advertisements using "Mr Goodseat" were part of their campaign to show the advantages of travel by rail. The artist for many of these signed himself 'Matthews'. Scenic photographs also show some aspects of life in New Zealand, including a series on the flax industry with harvesting, drying and processing the fibres. Another group shows a farm, including a house made of corrugated iron, with sacking covering the windows; land clearing and ploughing with horses, draining the land, and a pile of harvested kumara; and several photographs of a man panning for gold, and inspecting pieces of rock with a magnifying glass; a group of men on horseback with dogs setting out on a hunt, and a cage full of pheasants before being released for the shoot. Pages 78-81 show activities associated with the mail service. They include people buying stamps in a post office, men sorting mail, large bags prepared for out-of-town delivery (some bags being delivered to the inter-island ferry for transport to the South Island). From there they show postmen emerging from the Chief Post Office with their satchels ready for local delivery, with the final scenes of delivery into a household letterbox, and one of a woman being handed her mail at the door. There are a number of much earlier photographs in the album, including pictures of Major Ropata, Sir Donald McLean, John Webster and F E Maning, and one of Te Aro in 1857. Advertisements included "Buy New Zealand made goods, for the children's sake. Cut these cords. Unemployment"; an advertisement for Hannah's footwear using a photograph of The Mystery train" (advertising a trip to Paraparaumu Beach, and another to Ohau). Several photographs show large groups of people who travelled on the Mystery Train, picnicking at the beach at Paraparaumu, boiling up a huge billy, and a child in a backpack on her father's back). Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s). Physical Description: Album with canvas cover, green spine, entitled `Miscellaneous Book C3"; 39 x 56 cm

Date: [ca 1927]

From: The Press (Newspaper) :Negatives

Reference: 1/1-008731-G

Description: Photograph taken by an unidentified photographer employed or contracted by 'The Press' newspaper of Christchurch. Source of descriptive information - Negative registers. Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s). Physical Description: Dry plate glass negative, 6.5 x 8.5 inches Processing information: The collection description was updated in November 2020 with information regarding commercial use of the photographs.