Historic Photographs

Picture this, the year, around 1915 - Surrounded by an atmosphere of dust and the noise of motor trolleys and mule wagons stood this old wood and iron building which for many years housed the staff of the South African Railway (SAR) photographic works attached to the then publicity department.

The dilapidated exterior of the building portrayed no indication to the outsider of the amount of activity and photographic creativity that took place amongst its walls.

The building referred to here was situated on the roadside of the great yard of Kazerne goods station in Johannesburg.

This article attempts to acknowledge and honour those men who were attached to early the South African rail photographic section, based in this building following a merger of rail services during 1911.

1. Introduction

Early South African photographers can simplistically be divided into three broad categories, namely professional / commercial, non-commercial (typically government departments) or the amateur photographer.

To date, historians have not awarded early non-commercial South African photographers the recognition and acknowledgement they deserve.

In a recent article on the history of South African Photography (click here to view) to which an updated register of South African professional/commercial photographers from before 1915 was attached, it was pointed out that the list excluded photographers employed within governmental entities – such as those employed by the police and prison services, medical institutions, agricultural services, military, aerial or railway photographers.

The primary intent with this article is therefore to record non-commercial photographers who were active within...

Little did I know that the “old man”, Dotman Pretorius, who captured a photograph of a group of course goers during the mid-1980s, which I was part of, would become a personal research subject some 40 years down the line. Dotman would have been in his late 60s at the time he captured this particular photograph.

When capturing the photograph, he used old-fashioned flashlight technology. I was so intrigued by this, that I asked him whether I may have the large blue glass bulb that he used to produce the flashlight. He happily parted with the unusable item, an item which still features in my photographic collection.

Four decades later, in a Johannesburg-based book shop, I stumbled upon a number of good quality and unique photographs of various themes captured by Dotman Pretorius. Those that initially attracted my attention were the photographs taken by him at Pretoria’s Capitol Theatre during the 1950s.

Opening evening of a 1955 British movie “Geordie” at the Pretoria Capitol theatre during 1956. The movie entails a Scotsman who competes in the summer Olympics, therefore the presence of the pipe band. The theatre, on Parliament Street...

This article reflects on the early religious establishments in Pretoria, intuited from images as portrayed on picture postcards (mainly between the early 1900s and the late 1920s). The remainder of the images included in this article are standard photographic formats contained in the Hardijzer Photographic Research Collection (HPRC) or obtained from Friedel Hansen and Rosa Swanepoel.

From the dawn of civilization, religion, with its extraordinary and powerful influence, has played a significant role in the broader realm of human existence. Today, religion remains the lifeblood of many societies all over the world.

These living faiths, in turn, provide us with insights into the lives and rituals of those immersed in their particular religion.

In order for society to live out its religious convictions, places to worship and perform religious rituals came into existence, resulting in some of the world’s most intricate and ostentatious architecture.

Compared to the rest of the world, South Africa has a significantly younger religious history.

Some conflicting information seems to exist on the earliest 'western' religious establishments in South Africa. It has been suggested that the first religious complex to be built in South Africa was around 1678 in Cape Town – the cornerstone of which was laid by Willem Adriaan van der Stel.

Pretoria’s first religious building was erected during 1857, resulting in a gap of some 180 years between South Africa and Pretoria’s first religious complex!

In comparison, Pretoria’s religious history seems almost insignificant considering the above, yet early photographic images produced of Pretoria’s...

The primary purpose of this article is to introduce the first known catalogue of Anglo-Boer war stereo photographs produced by the American based Keystone View Company (Version 1 – as at April 2022 - click here to view).

At this early stage it also needs to be pointed out that Keystone View Company published their stereoviews in the United Kingdom under the name “The Fine-Art Photographers’ Publishing Co”. The numbering convention and titles applied for these Anglo-Boer war images were the same as for the views published under the Keystone brand. Whilst the Keystone View Company (Keystone) is the main theme of this article, the catalogue attached would be inclusive of the British published views.

This article is the third in a series on South African Anglo-Boer war stereo photographs, or stereoviews, produced by American based entities.

The first in the series was on the Anglo-Boer war stereo photographs produced by Underwood & Underwood (click here to view), whilst the second in the series was on the Kilburn company (click here to view). All three these entities, Keystone included, were stiff competition to each other – also during the Anglo-Boer war period.

Underwood & Underwood was established during 1881 and ceased their activities 39 years later (during 1920), whilst Kilburn was established during 1865. They discontinued their activities 44 years later (during 1909).

After having made some crucial adaptations in order to survive the industry, Keystone became the longest survivor of the three American entities. Keystone was established during 1892, with...

A dusty old shoebox in a charity shop in Pinetown. No-one knows how long it had been lying there and no-one knows who brought it in. A staff member working there found it whilst tidying up and opened the box to see what was inside. “Look at this”, she said to the ladies managing the shop, “this box is full of old photographs with names on the back”.

Neither of the ladies were much interested in genealogy, but both agreed that the contents of this box looked quite special and should, if possible, be reunited with its family, or, failing that, go intact to a collector who would appreciate it. But how to go about it?

They posted a few of the photographs on the shop’s Facebook page, which was shared to several Genealogy groups. Although causing a fair number of comments, no-one among the large groups of members seemed to have any connection to the family. Passing through Pinetown and having an interest in genealogy and old photographs, my husband and I stopped at the charity shop on the off-chance that the photographs might still be there. We were hoping, at best, to find a few nice old photographs as seen on the Facebook post, but were completely taken aback at what we found - a whole box of the most beautiful Cabinet Cards and Cartes de Visite, most of which were identified by name, as well as some handwritten notes and a diary.

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Much has been written about the concept of discarded or “found” photographs. These photographs often contain the most surprising themes which continue making significant contributions to a broader visual and historical perspective.

Whilst the possible themes of found photographs vary broadly, the primary theme remains around our experiences of the world – our memory of something captured - including our own emotion around the commemoration of the dead.

Occasionally these discarded or “found” photographs also include the almost taboo category of mourning photographs or “In Memoriam” photographs.

The Latin “In Memoriam” translates into “In memory of” or “as a memorial to”.

Examples of front cover of antique “In Memoriam” cards. These cards have become of significant interest to researchers and should therefore be curated instead of being discarded or destroyed.

During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, photography played a vital role in capturing images of loved ones, not only whilst alive, but also at the time of their death.

Think about it – A photograph turns the past into an object of tender regard (Sontag, 2002), but also only where...

This article is dedicated to Rosa Swanepoel, a Pretoria historian, who donated the images contained in this article to the author during October 2021. She sadly passed away shortly thereafter.

The primary theme of this article is based on the Paarl based photographer James (Jimmy) Gribble, his first wife and their 4 children – roughly spanning a 25 year period (between 1890 and 1915).

Occasionally the Hardijzer Photographic Research Collection (HPRC), a privately curated collection, receives donations of early South African photographs. The recent donation to the HPRC by Swanepoel contained 71 photographs, 70 of which related to the Gribble family.

Finding a collection of images as it relates to an early South African photographer’s own life  narrative, some 100 years after they were initially captured, is exceptionally rare which therefore makes these images even more unique.

On the same day the images were received the vigorious research started as to who all the individuals were as portrayed on the 70 photographs. It became a surreal, almost voyoristic experience in studying each individual as portrayed on the photographs. The odd photograph out in the donated batch is of an armored vehicle, also photographed by Gribble around 1915.

In analysing and researching each individual, a fascinating storyline unfolded – a human story – something probably not captured before and therefore crucial to record, mainly for the benefit of South African photographic history but not to the exclusion of family or genealogical history.

Two key themes stand out strongly, namely that of...

What are the chances of two unrelated strangers living on different continents discovering that they have some identical photographs of common ancestors in their old family albums?

Annie Goodhead, Kitty and friend - ie The Lady in Black (Margaret Addis)

This photograph of a mature lady dressed in black, which was taken over 100 years ago, was the key to two people with a common interest in genealogy finding each other, not only enabling both of them to fill in missing bits of their respective family trees, but also to give to one the gift of photographs of her great-grandmother she would otherwise never have seen.

If you are researching ancestors who emigrated from Europe to settle in one of the new colonies, take inspiration from this story of how family documents, letters and beautiful portraits can turn up in the most unlikely places.

In 1890, two brothers, John and Frederick Goodhead from Manchester, England, set sail aboard the Duart Castle for the new colony of South Africa, a move instigated by their father because John had TB and had been advised, on medical grounds, to move to a drier and less polluted climate. On arrival, the brothers initially stayed together, first going to Pietermaritzburg and then to Barberton, where they ran a general store. Then, for...

We are excited to share these wonderful photographs of Johannesburg from above. Many were taken from the rooftops of the city while others are from a plane. Most of the images were captured from the late 1940s to the 1960s. Thank you to the Bath Family for giving us access to their priceless archive (click here to read more about the archive).

The main image is a phenomenal shot of His Majesty's. The blue plaque for this building reads as follows:

African Consolidated Theatres commissioned J.C. Cook & Cowen to design a new theatre and office complex in 1937, to replace the theatre of the same name which had opened in 1903. Construction was interrupted by World War II and only completed in 1945. Decorated with the plushness befitting royalty, His Majesty’s Theatre became the venue for spectacular productions. The theatre occupied the central block between the office towers which were topped with steel crowns, lit up at night. Advocate Joe Slovo, a leading communist and later Chief of Staff of Umkonto we Sizwe in the Anti-Apartheid Struggle, had chambers in the office towers.

Look how close the mine dumps were to town. Many of Joburg's dumps have been reclaimed in recent decades. Click here for an article on the Portal about this process.

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Over the last few years I have been gathering, digitising and getting the story behind the few remaining photos that my late grandfather, Ken Bath took during his +- 30 years as a photographer.

Thanks to my Dad (Leigh Bath) for sharing a little more about his dad, my grandfather, Ken (Kenneth Charles ‘Ken’ Bath 1915 – 1985). I am delighted that I could bring these photos back to life and share his wonderful work.

Studio Stamp

Born in Rhodesia, as a young boy he was sent to St Andrews School in Grahamstown, South Africa where he completed his education. Soon after, he left for London, arriving in the mid 1930s. He found a job as a ‘stills’ photographer at the busy Ealing Film Studios in West London where he met Dorothy Gill, a darkroom assistant, and they soon married.

River Thames and Tower Bridge, London in the mid 1930s

At the start of the Second World War, he joined The Royal Air Force...