Opening the archive and exploring MOTAT’s oldest objects

Celebrating MOTAT’s 60th anniversary last year has provided a great opportunity to look back through the collections at some of the oldest items held at MOTAT. These 20 fascinating objects all date to pre-1850. For each object, a link to MOTAT’s Collections Online has been included.

The first, held in the Walsh Memorial Library, is a handwritten recipe book from 1807. Its provenance is unknown and lists Miss House and Martha Clarke on the inside cover, so it was possibly compiled by both. It contains 368 recipes. No word on how good any of them are!

The second, in the textiles collection, is a linen sampler stitched by Ann Cox – then aged 11 – in 1811.

The third, also in the textiles collection, is an Empire style oyster satin evening gown of unknown provenance. This dress has a wide deep neckline and puff sleeves.

Next is a range of objects from the 1830s. In the textiles collection, is a black silk shawl made in about 1830. In the dolls, toys, and games collection is an 1830s child’s male doll with wax head and black velvet clothing. It stands 11 inches tall, has blue glass eyes, and its jacket and trousers have a lace trim. In the musical instruments collection is an 1830s piano which apparently used to contain a pianola (a self-playing mechanism). The piano was made by Henry Tolkien of London probably in the 1830s. This one was donated by St Stephens school in return for a piano their students could use.

In the print collection is an 1834 Albion Press made by Richard Whittaker Cope. No pictures online yet unfortunately!

Made the same year Auckland was founded and Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed is this 1840 daguerreotype of an unidentified woman by an unknown maker. This is one of the earliest forms of photography and a real treat – sadly there isn’t yet a picture online.

I’m not sure which collection this object belongs to, but this is a Parkinson & Frodsham brass marine chronometer, No. 2707, made between 1842 and 1844. Chronometers were used for the accurate recording of longitude by measuring the time of a known fixed location with the current location.

Another time piece is this 1846 Sessions Clock Company chiming mantelpiece clock, made in Forestville, Connecticut, USA. Also used in communications is this 1845 single needle telegraph from British Rail, also known as “Ting/Tang (Tong)”.

This next item is the first of the older objects with clear provenance date to the fencibles. The Royal New Zealand Fencibles were retired soldiers, often referred to as military pensioners, who were brought to Auckland from England and Ireland between 1847 and 1852 to form a military reserve. From this period, MOTAT has an 1847 uniform forage hat, Sgt Quinlan’s 1848 Cottage (now in the village), and the Lawler Sattleday 1848 Cottage (also in the village).

Also from 1848 is Willow Cottage, a kauri house originally from Parnell, built by William Bagnall, a ship’s carpenter and cabinetmaker.

Finishing off the 1840s is a selection of plates. Several were produced by Royal Staffordshire Pottery and feature Jenny Lind designs (such as this bowl, this bowl, this layer bowl, and this bowl) while other feature a PH & Co. Poppy design.

by Scott Pilkington