PHANZA member Simon Nathan is giving a talk at the National Library, Wellington, on 20 September. See details below:
Alexander McKay: New Zealand’s first scientific photographer
Alexander McKay (1841-1917) explored many parts of New Zealand while working as a geologist/fossil collector for Geological Survey under James Hector. He was also a keen amateur photographer, capturing geological features and the impact of the 1888 and 1901 Canterbury earthquakes. He invented a telephoto lens about 1890, and developed techniques for photographing fossils and microscopic thin sections of rocks. Most of McKay’s photography was aimed at illustrating his scientific work, and he can be designated New Zealand’s earliest scientific photographer.
The research on which this talk is based has recently been published in the online journal Tuhinga:
you can read it here.
Location: National Library, cnr Molesworth Street & Aitken Street, Wellington
Date: Thursday 20 September, 5.30 p.m.