What is the Hannan Photographics Archive?
The Hannan Photographics Archive consists of approximately 1 million photographic images taken across Newcastle and the Hunter Region spanning over half a century from the early 1950s to the 2010s.
Where Did It Come From?
It was generously donated to the University’s Cultural Collections (Archives), now Special Collections, in June 2014 by the third owner of the company, Mr Don McCririck.
Hannan Photographics was founded in 1965 by William and Lola Hannan, with son Paul. The Hannan group of companies also included a number of well established Newcastle and Hunter Regional photographic firms. William and Lola Hannan gradually acquired these firms from the 1950s onwards.
For more on the history of Hannan Photographics click here:
What Did They Photograph?
Hannan Photographics, in the main, consisted of three related entities:
- Hannan Photographics: specialising in commercial, industrial, aerial, public relations (PR), architectural, etc.
- Maltfern Studio: specialising in candid weddings, portraits and public relations (PR).
- Green Leaves Studio: specialising in formal weddings and portraits.
Suffice to say this firm took photographs representing all human activities across the Hunter Region; they pioneered the use of flash photography in underground mines, recorded the construction of ships and vessels at all stages at the Carrington Slipways, they photographed weddings, parties, everything!
Can We See the Photographs?
Yes, you can see over 1000 digitised images from the Hannan Photographics Archive on our Living Histories Data Platform here: https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/116130
Where Are The Other 999,000 Photographs?
They are still yet to be done. Here is a photo of the shelves and shelves of boxes holding Hannan negatives. With resourcing constraints, it is unlikely that everything will be digitised, but then, you can’t digitise everything in an archive, or else you would break the internet!
What Is The Plan Then?
So, the game plan is to deal with the problem negatives that require special assistance, and work on a search tool for the archive, so we can identify key areas for future digitisation and conservation care.
Some of the early negatives, dating from the early 1950s, have obscure numbers, or little identification. Due to their physical condition they have needed conservation treatment, so that they can be properly digitised.
Conservation Work
Conservation treatments take time, and is the responsibility of our University Conservator, Dr Amir Moghadam. Amir is also allocating Hannan numbers for those negatives that do not possess them for whatever reason. Work began in 2023, almost one decade after the Archive was donated.
As he prepares the negatives he is also documenting the condition, as it may turn out that some of them, over time, have been misplaced from other areas of the Archive, or perhaps come from a variety of sources prior to the Hannan Photographics Company taking them over.
For more on the Dr Moghadam’s conservation work with the Hannan Negatives click on this post:
Work officially begins on the massive Hannan Photographic Archive
How Can We Find What’s In There?
The key to locating what Hannan Photographics photographed over their 60 years of operations are their Company Ledgers.
The Company ledgers record when and where and for whom the photographs were taken
Lola Hannan maintained the original company ledgers documenting the photographic clients, assignments, locations, photographers assigned and costs. Lola’s work was mainly clerical and financial. Photographic jobs were assigned by either William Hannan, Paul Hannan or Carole Hannan, who continued the documentation of the ledgers.
Find out more on how the photographic firm worked through the surviving founders and photographers of the Hannan Photographics Company through this “reunion” held in the Auchmuty Library on 7 August 2023:
“All Things Hannan” Hunter Living Histories – Showcase 7 August 2023
What Does A Hannan Register Look Like Inside?
Twenty (20) ledgers (have so far) survived, and accompany the boxes and folders of film negatives with details of the jobs undertaken.
HANNAN “GREEN LEAVES” STUDIO – 106 LOOKOUT ROAD, NEW LAMBTON HEIGHTS (1955-1963)
Two ledgers document specifically the “Green Leaves” Studio from April 1955 to September 1963.
• B17800 LEDGER: 4/1955 (No. A101) to 12/1960 (No. 1888)
• B17801 LEDGER: 23/12/1960 (No. 1889) to 12/9/1963 (No.3392)
[UNIDENTIFIED FIRM(S) – HANNAN PHOTOGRAPHICS] (1958-2011)
Eighteen others (presumably) document the work of Hannan Photographics and its related firms in an unbroken chain from 8/4/1958 to 7/9/2011. The latter ledgers record no company entries, so there is a problem in reconciling the entries between the “Green Leaves” Studio Ledgers and the succeeding ones. The issue will hopefully be resolved in due course.
• B17802 LEDGER: 8/4/1958 (No. 11882) to 21/1/1962 (No. 11970)
• B17803 LEDGER: 13/1/1962 (No. 2696) to 30/7/1965 (No. 4985)
• B17804 LEDGER: 30/9/1965 (No. 4986) to 18/10/1967 (No. 6611)
• B17805 LEDGER: 24/10/1967 (No. 6612) to 17/10/1970 (No. 8879)
• B17806 LEDGER: 17/10/1970 (No. 8880) to 26/10/1973 (No. 1255)
[When 10,000 was reached, number restarted at “101”.
• B17807 LEDGER: 24/10/1973 (No. 1256) to 25/3/1976 (No. 3925)
• B17808 LEDGER: 25/3/1976 (No. 3926) to 11/4/1978 (No. 6808)
• B17809 LEDGER: 11/4/1978 (No. 6809) to 23/3/1979 (No. 8391)
• B17810 LEDGER: 23/3/1979 (No. 8392) to 7/10/1981 (No. 2737)
[When 10,000 was reached, numbers restarted]
• B17811 LEDGER: 7/10/1981 (No. 2738) to 28/1/1984 (No. 6001)
• B17812 LEDGER: 28/11/1984 (No. 6002) to 23/3/1985 (No. 6320)
• B17813 LEDGER: 28/3/1985 (No. 6321) to 9/5/1990 (No. 9567)
• B17814 LEDGER: Index to 5/1990 (No. 9586) to 6/1995 (No. 3410)
• B17815 LEDGER: 5/1990 (No. 9586) to 6/1995 (No. 3410)
• B17816 LEDGER: Index to 7/3/1995 (No. 3423) to 16/1/2004 (No. 5585)
• B17817 LEDGER: 7/3/1995 (No. 3423) to 16/1/2004 (No. 5585)
• B17818 LEDGER: Index to 23/1/2004 (No. 5586) to 7/9/2011 (No. 6900)
• B17819 LEDGER: 23/1/2004 (No. 5586) to 7/9/2011 (No. 6900)
So Who Do We Thank For All This?
Besides the donor, please extend thanks to the wonderful GLAMx Lab and their Work Integrated Learning Students, Community Volunteers and members of Auchmuty Library staff who have lent a hand to help. They are the ones who generously give their time, to provide the wider communities with this photographic resource.
Round of Applause for:
Volunteers – Sarah Xenos, Anne Kay, Jessica Waugh, Lorraine Bridger, Isabel Whittle, Verity Croake, Colleen Oldman, Connie Wang.
Career Ready Placement students – Harper Wang, Chelsea Morris-Barker, Tamara Asmus, MacKenzie Haynes.
Library staff – Karen Moller, Lorraine Miller, Bec Poynting, Libby Byrne, Niya Anadkat, Lynda Paul, Leanne Wilkinson, Tegan Hall,
How Can I Help?
Contact Dr Ann Hardy, the GLAMx Lab co-ordinator. She oversees a range of Hannan Projects that provide great training and skills for our Volunteers and Work Integrated Learning Students (i.e., Career Ready Placements).
The Hannan Photographics Archive Projects currently underway include:
- SEARCHABILITY – the digitisation of the Hannan registers and transcription of key data into an excel spreadsheet so we can search all photographs
- DIGITAL ACCESS – the digitisation of the newly conserved Hannan Negatives and uploading to Living Histories Data Platform
- DEEP DIVES – deep dives into various areas of the photographs
For more on the work of Dr Ann Hardy, GLAMx and the helpers please check out the following posts:
Hannan Photographic Archive – Coordinating the WIL Student & Volunteer Work
Who Played Shakespeare’s Macbeth in Tighes Hill (N.S.W.) in 1961?
There’s Plenty More To Do!
Why Is It Important?
For more on long term planning check out our 2023 National Conference Paper to the Australian Society of Archivists on the Immortal Archive:
The Immortal Archive Accepted For Australian Society of Archivists Conference 2023
Gionni Di Gravio OAM
University Archivist & Chair, Hunter Living Histories
A Selection of Photographs from the Hannan Archive
This is an amazing archive!
I am interested in photos which appeared in the Newcastle Morning Herald and The Sun newspaper in December 1936 and January 1937. Do you have any?
Hi Gregory, The glass plate images we hold from the Newcastle Sun are digitised and available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/albums/72157632116637069/ and https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/51. For Newcastle Herald photographs you will need to contact the Newcastle Herald directly. Hope this helps.