Historic photographic collection launched

Nov 13, 2006

The Cocks Photographic Collection Online, a valuable photographic archive of the Kiama and surrounding Illawarra region, was launched at the University of Wollongong last week (Friday 10 November).

Samuel Cocks operated a commercial photographic studio in Manning Street, Kiama, from the late 1800s to the 1920s.

His photographs were used in numerous tourist publications and postcards, as well as in subsequent local history books, and depict the physical landscape, architecture and people of Kiama and the surrounding Illawarra region of the time.

University of Wollongong Archivist, Susan Jones, said the scenic photographs in particular help to illustrate many of the changes that have occurred in the region's physical landscape since the early 1900s, as well as highlighting features that remain relatively unchanged.

The Cocks Collection, which has been on long term loan to the University Archives from the Weston family of Kiama, consists of over 800 glass plate negatives, and complements historic local photographs held in other libraries. Many of these fragile plates remain in good condition while others unfortunately show varying degrees of deterioration.

Ms Jones said that a project by the University Library to digitise a large part of the collection was nearing completion.

In collaboration with the Wollongong City Library, over 400 of the images are now available for viewing via the Illawarra Images website, making this invaluable local history resource far more accessible to students and researchers in the University and the wider community.

Ms Jones said that the project would not have been possible without the support of the Weston family, the IMB Community Foundation, Mr Michael Cole, Pillar Administration, the University of Wollongong and the Wollongong City Library.