23 July, 2014

Public Asked For Antique Photos Of Iconic Adelaide

Photos of iconic Adelaide sights are being sought as part of a landmark history project to ensure images of Adelaide live on through the ages.

Images brought forward by the public will be digitised and collated by historian in residence, Steven Glenn, at the City of Adelaide Library as part of Council initiative: Re-Live Adelaide which will result in a community built digital collection.

Library Manager Anne Rundle said the program is calling for photographs of Victoria Square, the Adelaide Central Markets, city streets and Adelaide trams from prior to the year 2000.

“Adelaide has a rich iconic history and many would have no doubt photographed it over the years,” she said.

“Traditional photographic prints will always have a limited lifespan, so from an historical context it’s important to ensure these images do not fade away with wear and tear.”

Already archived images from the Adelaide Picture Collection are also being researched and collated as part of the project.

Once the images have been digitised they will form a searchable community driven digital collection and be part of a public presentation at the Adelaide City Library.

“Adelaide is evolving quickly so it is important from a cultural perspective for city users to understand the heritage of the modern day sights they frequent,” said Ms Rundle.

“We tend to quickly forget how things used to be, it was not long ago when the tram looked a lot different to what it does now and so did many of the city’s streets.”

Ms Rundle says the story and context of the supplied photos will be sought as well.

“Our historian Steven Glenn will chat with people who bring in their prints to get further information of where the image was taken,” she said.

People with photos meeting the criteria can take them to any of the City Libraries, the South West Community Centre or the Box Factory for digitisation and be entered into the collection.

Paula Stevens