Kinsey studio/

The Kinsey Cottage, where you will be photographed, is a small building housing many deep and long lasting tastes of history. Connecting heritage lines of New Zealand photography and the country’s contribution to Antarctic exploration, the historic studio and darkroom, purpose built by Sir Joseph Kinsey c.1881, will open you to your own pasts, nows and futures.

Of the darkroom and studios history and maker:

Sir Joseph James Kinsey (1852 – 1936)

Born, Plumstead, near London 1852

Died 5th May 1936 at Warrimoo

Sir Joseph James Kinsey was the loyal and resourceful shipping agent, attorney, advisor, fundraiser, host, and friend of both Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. Kinsey used his entrepreneurial skills and business, both social and political networks to persuade businesses, organisations, individuals, tradesmen, and the government to donate money and supply discounted and free goods and services to expeditions.

Kinsey was also an amateur photographer and developed his photos in the darkroom of this cottage, which sat in the garden of ‘Warrimoo’, his large estate on Papanui Road, Merivale, Christchurch.

In 1971, Kinsey’s Papanui residence was earmarked for demolition. Kinsey Cottage was then acquired by the NZ Antarctic Society and in 1978 was relocated to Ferrymead Heritage Park. Now you can step within this historic structure and experience the echoes of Kinsey and his adventurous Antarctic friends.

Amongst them was Herbert Ponting, photographer and cinematographer on Scott’s 1910-1913 Terra Nova Expedition. Ponting spent 14 months at Cape Evans, and once finished with his field work he returned to England via New Zealand. He was tasked with the job of arranging more than 1,700 photographic glass plate negatives and the moving image film that he had shot. These were to accompany the lectures and fundraising Scott had planned to do on his return. Scott, of course, never returned.

Ponting presented his Antarctic work at magic lantern lectures in the UK and in 1924 ordered his photos and film footage into the silent movie: The Great White Silence. Ponting was a pioneer of cinematography in the Antarctic, the self portrait bellow of Ponting sees him standing proudly beside his cinematograph, portable movie camera in 1912.

Sir Kinsey himself was recognised for his valuable services to Antarctic exploration and in 1914 was awarded the Scott medal from the Royal Geographical Society. Kinsey was also bestowed the title of Knight Bachelor in 1919.