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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Gwenn02 on Monday 10 August 09 23:44 BST (UK)

Title: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: Gwenn02 on Monday 10 August 09 23:44 BST (UK)
This photo has been take in Eastern Bush, Southland , NEW ZEALAND

I don"t have the date ....

any guess ?

Thanks :-)
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: terry h on Tuesday 11 August 09 13:18 BST (UK)
Sorry can't help, just bumping you back up.  :)

Terry
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: beluga07 on Wednesday 12 August 09 10:42 BST (UK)
Not sure if this helps at all, but this listing of NZ teachers in 1906 suggests that Eastern Bush school had one sole teacher at that time - a Lena Fahey (ie. female).

http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/teachers2.html 

I guess given the male teacher in the photo, that it means you can rule out 1906 as the date of the photo, and maybe? a year or two either side of that if Ms Fahey was the teacher for a couple of years... Again, probably not a lot of help, but I'll have a look and see what else I can find.
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: beluga07 on Wednesday 12 August 09 10:56 BST (UK)
Another possible clue - this letter to the editor dated November 13, 1912 suggests there was a campaign on to move the school "to the cross roads, a short distance further south".

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OSWCC19121119.2.28.1&l=mi&e=-------10--1----0-all

Someone who knows more about such things than I might be able to make a guess from the photo as to whether that building had been relocated. If so, it must be 1913 or later...
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: Hibee on Wednesday 12 August 09 11:05 BST (UK)
There is another copy of this photo on the net, with a suggested date of 1900.

Hibee
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: robbo43 on Wednesday 12 August 09 22:57 BST (UK)
Just bumping this up a bit in the hope some of those with more knowledge of clothes fashions etc will have a look at it.  It seems possibly later than 1900 & 1906 to me.

Robert
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: Gwenn02 on Thursday 13 August 09 00:01 BST (UK)
Thank you Robbo for your answer

yes the costume of the teacher seems older than eraly 1900 .....
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: robbo43 on Thursday 13 August 09 00:24 BST (UK)
Thank you Robbo for your answer

yes the costume of the teacher seems older than eraly 1900 .....

Also the boys' short trousers & long socks and the length of the girls' dresses. 

Robert
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: beluga07 on Thursday 13 August 09 03:34 BST (UK)
Am getting nowhere with my own research, so I thought I'd procrastinate and look at your request again...

1. Eastern Bush School's admission, progress and withdrawal registers for 1892 – 1928 are held by Invercargill City Libraries and Archives. If you do want to find out the names of the pupils, this would be your best bet.
More details including contacts here: http://thecommunityarchive.org.nz/node/73308/summary

2. Have a read through "Papers Past" - its a great online collection of old New Zealand newspapers. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

The area you are looking for is covered by the Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle (1905 - 1932). Just a quick look through myself I could find out:

The school was built in 1891, to accommodate 50 pupils. Only ever a sole teacher, and here are the ones I could establish (again, you could probably rule out the years where the head teacher was female):

1892 – 1893 Mr Meiklejohn
1893?  – 1898 Mr Barraclough
1899 – 1900 Mr John McFadden
1901 - Miss Taylor
1902 – 1910 Miss Lena Fahey
1911 - 1912 – Mr R M McIntyre
1925 – 1928 Miss Leila Rout
1928 - 1930 – Mary E Young
1931 - 1932 – Mr Ernest A Boon (there were 16 pupils in 1932 - so similar in number to your photo)

Some big gaps there, but it might help. A number of the articles also include lists of school pupils participating in school picnics etc.

Good luck.
Heather
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: Gwenn02 on Thursday 13 August 09 06:05 BST (UK)
Thank you SO MUCH Heather ... I will start from that :-)

Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: robbo43 on Thursday 13 August 09 20:28 BST (UK)
Given a choice of 1892-1900, 1911-1912 or 1931-1932 for male teachers, I think I would go for the last of the 3 periods.  It would be nice to fill the 1912-1925 gap though.

Robert
Title: Re: Photo dating - New Zealand
Post by: trish1120 on Friday 14 August 09 19:14 BST (UK)
Hi Gwenn02,

This is another NZ School Photo I had restored here.

I guess this is abt 1915 from my Uncles ages. So yours I think would be slightly later.


http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,394570.0.html

Trish