Dogs in Early New Zealand Photographs is a very classy hardback with an eye-catching orange spine and title that perfectly compliments the sepia and black & white images on the cover and inside.
This handsome and heart-warming book has over 100 photos of New Zealand dogs (and their owners) from 1820 to 1920, many studio portraits, and some New Zealand landscapes.
The book also highlights some significant dogs from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including dogs from the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, explorer’s dogs, a tennis star’s dog, sled dogs and military dogs. Some of the photographers of the time are profiled.
The introduction from Mike White wonderfully sets the tone for the book, capturing some of the history contained within, but more than that, people’s abiding love for their dogs throughout the ages.
The different images are by turns elegant, amusing and surprising, historical, but completely relatable.
My only slight grumble was having to turn repeatedly to the index to see information about most of the images. It would have been much more reader-friendly to have the information about each image on the same page. But a minor gripe about a beautiful book that will appeal to dog lovers everywhere and also those interested in history.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Te Papa Press